The Beasts and the Balverines
by Nocturnal-Dayz
Summary: I was never the heroic type. I would rather just spend my time reading books and tales about Heroes, adventures, and magic. Never in my right mind did I think that I would go on a little adventure myself...
1. Welcome to Witchwood

"**The Beasts and the Balverines****"**

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Witchwood**

I woke up early again this morning. I was greeted by the rising sun as it peeked through my window next to my bed, hitting my face with the full force of its light and heat. I cracked my eyes open, only to immediately shut them tightly as I was blinded by the light. I pulled my blanket up over my face in the hope of shunning out the light, but its powerful rays still pierced through my sheets. I turned over to my other side towards the wall and curled up, the pleasant warmth now on my back, and did my best to try to get back to sleep.

I knew I shouldn't have stayed up late last night reading my books…

"Hey sis! Wake up, wake up!"

Well, so much for sleep…

My soft blanket was thrown off of me and I felt the full blast of warmth and light. I shivered slightly and covered my face with my hands. I _really_ didn't feel like getting up yet…

"Come on, get up! Today's the big day!"

I moaned miserably. I then felt two strong hands get a firm grip on my butt, and then they started to shake me violently.

"Come _on!_ We have to get ready! Our parents want us to get there as soon as possible!"

"Mmm…five more minutes…just five more minutes…" I moaned.

"Um…no. Quit being lazy and wake up!"

"Mmm…five minutes…I'll be up…promise…"

"Ugh…"

The two hands stopped shaking me and released my rear. I could hear my older sister's footsteps walk off away from me with a hint of aggravation. I couldn't help but smile from my small victory as I pulled my blanket back over my body and shut my eyes, trying to get back into that oh-so-illusive comfortable position.

Just as I started to feel sleep overcome me, the pair of hands returned and started shaking me again.

"Get up, get up, get up! Your five minutes are up!"

"Mmm…five more minutes…" I moaned.

"Oh no! Not this time! You had your five minutes, now _get up!_"

"Mmm…"

"GET UP!"

"Mmm…"

"Grr…alright…you asked for it…"

Oh no, she wasn't about to…

"!"

My body leapt a foot off of my bed as an insanely high-pitched scream stabbed through my ears and brain. I covered my ears with my pillow in a desperate attempt to drown out the noise, but it was useless.

"Stop, please…" I pleaded.

"!"

My ears felt like they were starting to bleed a little.

"Misty, please stop that!"

"!"

"FOR AVO'S SAKE, STOP!"

The screeching finally stopped and my head was relieved. I turned to my sister, who stood right over my bed with a large grin on her freckly face. Her long light brown hair was a little messy, but probably not as much as mine usually was in the mornings. She was still in her dark green nightgown, so I assumed she hadn't waked up much sooner than I did. She stared at me with her cheery gray eyes, obviously waiting for me to do something. I blinked at her, and then heaved a sigh.

"Alright, alright, I'm up." I stood up from my bed and my bare feet received a slight shock from the rather cold wooden floor. "Are you happy now?"

"Very." Misty replied. "Now get dressed! Mum and Dad want us there before dusk and there's something I want to get done before we head for Witchwood."

"Witchwood?" I asked, suddenly feeling a little uneasy.

"Yeah, you know, Knothole Glade? Where they live now?"

"But…aren't there…?"

"Bandits? Creatures? Monsters? Yeah, there are those. But don't fret! There's a Cullis Gate right outside of the town so we should be able to just teleport there without any trouble and without having to deal with any dangers. Plus, you've got me! Relax, Maia! I got it figured out."

Somehow I still didn't feel relaxed.

Misty scurried across the inside of our small house over to her furniture and started rummaging through her dresser. I frowned at her and felt embarrassed at her excited nature, but I guess I should be used to it by now. We've been living together for about a year now after we moved away from our parents in Bowerstone, after all. I let out a huge yawn, still yearning for more sleep, but I took a few steps toward my own dresser that had a large mirror hanging over it. I stepped in front of it, and a sixteen year old thin girl with icy gray eyes, a few freckles, shoulder length light brown hair, and zero attractiveness started back at me. I rubbed my eyes and sighed, resisting the urge to yawn again. I looked back at my sister and saw that she had already stripped herself of her nightgown and was still digging through her dresser for an outfit while in her undergarments. I stared at her, feeling a hint of jealousy creep into my gut. She was everything I wanted to be appearance-wise, as much as I hated to admit it. She was pretty, tall, had beautiful long brown hair, more curves than I could count, and was strong. I hated her for it, but I felt envious as well. I looked back at the mirror and my heart sunk, disappointed with what it saw. It was depressing, but every morning was like this, so I had gotten used to that as well.

I didn't like it, but I accepted it.

I reached over my head and started to pull off my own nightgown. Misty continued rummaging through her dresser and quickly pulled out an outfit and threw it onto her bed. She started to unfold it, but then she stared at me as I stared back.

"Don't just stand there, get dressed!"

I broke my gaze on her, though I still felt uneasiness in the air between us. I looked at the curtains over the windows to make sure they were entirely covered, and then when the paranoia faded, I slowly slipped off my gown.

"Be sure to wear something durable and comfortable." Misty piped up with a calm tone. "It'll probably be raining there, so you should bring your cloak too."

I nodded. I searched through my dresser for some decent traveling clothes. The problem was I didn't really have any. I wasn't expecting to travel to a far away land just to visit my parents. Mum and Dad had sent us a letter telling us that they had moved away from Browerstone, but I had half-expected them to move with us here in Oakvale. When Misty told me that Knothole Glade was on an island to the west of Albion, I immediately felt nervous. I knew they would want us to visit them wherever they lived. Misty was excited about it of course, only because it gave her an excuse to travel the world; the farther they lived the better.

That wasn't the case for me though.

I let out a depressed sigh, unable to find any "adventuring" clothes in any of my drawers. I looked at Misty and saw that she already had a pair of leather leggings on and was adjusting the pack on her right thigh. She was about to put on a leather chest piece when she looked up to me staring at her again.

"What?"

"I…don't have any clothes…" I said softly.

"What do you mean? I know you've got some clothes you can wear."

"Not for travelling."

Misty sighed and dropped the chest piece on her bed. She then walked casually over to where I was and started searching through my dresser.

"What are you doing?" I asked, aggravated that she was digging through my things again.

"Finding you something to wear, _again_." She said simply. I rolled my eyes. "You have things you can wear on an adventure, sis."

"Adventure?"

"That's how I like to think of it."

"I hardly think that we're going on an adventure, Misty."

"Sure we are…and see?"

Misty pulled out a long dark blue cloth skirt with a few white belts strung about its length. She held it up in front of me as if it was something to be proud of. "I knew you had something!"

"A _skirt?_" I squeaked.

"Yeah! It's comfortable, this one's pretty strong…" She stretched its fabric a few times. "And you'll look good in it. Those three things are what all Heroes need for their clothing."

"I'm not a Hero…"

"Who said you had to be?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but closed it after I realized I didn't have an answer.

"Here, put it on."

I took the skirt and slipped it on while Misty continued digging through my clothes. It wasn't too bad, I suppose. It was pretty light and it hung down to my knees, so it wasn't too short. I walked around in it and it actually was quite comfortable and I could move relatively easily. I bent over to see if it would rip from my rather large butt, but I was pleased that it didn't. I guess Misty does know what she's talking about sometimes when it comes to certain things.

"Try this." She said suddenly, throwing a shirt into my face.

I grumbled and pulled the shirt off of my head. It was a plain gray long-sleeve shirt with a brown vest over it and a v-neck collar. I pulled it over my head, poked my arms through the sleeves and then pulled it down over my stomach, though it still left a bit of skin uncovered. It was a little tight, but not so much that I couldn't move very well. I stretched my arms out and turned my waist, satisfied that I didn't hear anything rip. I examined my outfit, still unsure whether or not it was proper traveling attire.

"You look cute!" Misty said excitedly. "That should be good for the trip there. Now see if you can find more clothes."

She walked back over to her side while I searched through my dresser again. I found a few villager outfits and stuffed them into my pack and then wrestled out my fur boots and cloak from our overstuffed closet. I slipped on my boots and looked around for anything else that I might need or want for our visit when my eyes landed on the bookcase.

I moved over to the bookcase and scanned all of my books, which made up the majority of the bookcase. I spotted a few books that I haven't quite finished yet and gathered them up into my arms and then tried to stuff them into my pack, but they wouldn't quite fit inside along with all of my clothes.

"Hey Misty, can you help me?" I said, looking over to where she was. She now had on a full leather suit that seemed relatively neutral in color, with a mix of dark blue, orange and a little yellow on the belts and gloves she wore. The suit looked like it fit her body perfectly, and that was something you couldn't say for many of the outfits that she wears. She looked up at me with a smile.

"With what?"

I stared at her again. "Do you have to wear that outfit?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Well…it's…a little ugly."

"Yeah, but it gives me some good protection."

"But we're not going on a serious adventure, just to Mum and Dad's, right?"

She smiled at me. Suddenly I felt worried.

"Right?"

She continued with that grin of hers. "Well…"

"Misty!"

"Ha ha, I'm just messing with you. Of course we aren't. I just like wearing this outfit. It makes me feel heroic."

"But it's ugly! You just said that all Heroes need to wear nice clothes."

"Yeah, but I can make _any_ outfit look good…"

I rolled my eyes.

"What did you need?"

"I can't get my last book into my pack."

"Oh, for crying out loud, sis. We're only staying there for a few days. You don't need to stick the entire bookcase in there."

"Oh shut it."

She giggled a little and came over to me. She took my last book and stuffed up pack. She was about to try her luck, but then she hesitated and stared at the book's front cover. I felt my cheeks turn a little red.

"Maia, do you really need to bring a book like this?"

"W-what do you mean?" I stuttered.

"I know you like your stories and all, but do you need to bring all of these?" She took out the three books I had in my pack and stared at the one she had. "Let's see…_The Trials of Aarkan_, _A Love Story_, _A Hero's Journey: Volume One_, and…_The Sock Method?_"

I quickly snatched the last book from her hands and held it tight. I just knew that my face must have been a brilliant shade of red right now.

"Why spend all this time reading about adventures and tales when you can live them yourself?" Misty asked.

"I would rather just imagine them in my head, thank you very much…"

"What does a story about adventuring have that a real adventure doesn't have?"

"Well for one, you can't get hurt or killed by reading a book…"

Misty opened her mouth, but closed it and looked at me with worry and sadness in her eyes. She looked away from me off to the side, clearly at a loss for words. She then sighed and looked at me.

"Look, just take two of them. You're not _that_ fast of a reader."

I narrowed my eyes as she turned to finish her own pack. I reluctantly put _A Love Story_ back on the shelf. I waited until Misty was looking in the other direction before slipping _The Sock Method_ back into my pack and was relieved that it fit in. I tied off the top of my pack and tossed it onto my bed. I gazed around, doing a mental checklist of everything I want or need to bring. Clothes, books, a few snacks, gold…Oh, yes! I knew I was missing something. I went to my bedside table and picked up my purse. I gave it a quick shake and was pleased that there still was some gold within it, and then I tied it securely on one of my belts.

"You ready?" Misty asked suddenly.

"Yeah."

I threw my pack over my shoulder and onto my back and grabbed my cloak. I went over to the door to wait for Misty, who was sheathing her katana and bow and quiver on her back. She did her own mental checklist around the house, grabbed her pack, and walked up to me.

"Shall we?"

I nodded. We went outside our door and were about close the door when Misty gasped and ran back inside. I waited until she came back out with her Guild Seal in hand.

"Nearly forgot it…" Misty said. "We won't be able to get there without this."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'll show you. But first I need to pay a visit to the shops. This katana is getting a little worn. Plus, it couldn't hurt to have some extra supplies. A Hero needs to be prepared at all times!"

"Prepared for what?"

"Anything."

She closed and locked the door and started walking down the hill to the left. I took one last glance at our house, and then I followed her down towards the town center where all of the shops and tavern were. While I walked casually, Misty marched forward with her back straight, her chest out and her head held high and proud. She wore the Guild Seal over her neck with a bright smile on her face as if it were a trophy of some sort. I wasn't surprised. She had been behaving this way since she had graduated as a Hero at the Heroes' Guild over a year ago. No matter where she went she brandished her Seal so that all of Albion would know that she was now a Hero. Our parents and I had lived in Bowerstone and the week of her graduation made them more and more excited. It was right about the time of her eighteenth birthday, and my parents couldn't have been happier. I, however, had rather mixed feelings about it. A Hero's job was to travel the world in search of adventure, which meant that I wouldn't see her too often anymore. She was my sister and my only friend, and she was leaving me behind possibly for good, and it tore at my heart whenever I thought about it.

We arrived at the weapons shop and Misty eagerly stepped inside. The shopkeeper greeted us kindly and Misty asked if he had the weapon she wanted. The shopkeeper said yes and reached behind the counter and pulled out a curved object wrapped in leather cloth. He unwrapped the cloth, revealing a blackened axe with a curved shape and blood red runic markings across its surface.

"That's rather frightening looking…" I said softly.

"Yeah, and it's just what I'm looking for. That is, if it's as strong as you say it is?" Misty said.

"Absolutely." The shopkeeper replied. "The black forging of this weapon has increased its sharpness and power, though it twisted its appearance a bit, a typical trait among all obsidian weapons. I got it straight from Knothole Glade."

"I'll take it!"

The shopkeeper handed over the obsidian axe and Misty gave him the appropriate amount of gold. We bid the shopkeeper farewell and headed across the area to the items shop. Misty replaced her katana with her new axe and held out the katana to me.

"What?" I asked.

"Take it."

"Why?"

"So you'll have a weapon. Everyone should have at least one."

"But I don't need that…"

"True, but you should always have some means to defend yourself. You never know when their might be a bandit attack or something."

I sighed. "Whatever…"

I took the katana and held it for a moment. It was a little heavy, but not so much that I wouldn't be able to handle and swing it. As much as I hated to think about it, it was a rather nice sword, with a well polished surface and hilt and elegant curved shape on the razor side of the blade. I hooked it onto my belt on my left side before we entered the item shop and immediately Misty went up to the shopkeeper and purchased a few health potions and will potions, as well as some food. She then stuffed them into her pockets and pack. We left the store and headed left toward the entrance to Oakvale.

"Ah, here it is." She said, changing her tone to a happier one. "Our ticket to Knothole Glade…"

She pointed at a circular stone platform near us. It had the same symbol as the one on her Guild Seal.

"This thing?" I asked, unsure if she knew what she meant.

"Yep, a Cullis Gate. These are scattered all over Albion and I can use them to teleport across the world. With my Guild Seal, I'll be able to transport to any Cullis Gate at any time."

"How?"

"I'll show you…"

Misty held out her Guild Seal and pointed it toward the stone platform. Within seconds a column of blue light began to swirl and glow, shooting upward toward the sky. A low hum sounded from the gate and I could just feel a small amount of vibration from it. The air also felt like it was swirling around the Gate itself.

"Wow…" I whispered.

"Shall we?" Misty asked.

"What do we do?"

"We just stand inside the light. I'll do the rest."

Misty stepped into the center of the Gate's light and faced me. She beckoned me forward and I cautiously stepped into the column. It felt strangely warm within it and the vibration was a little stronger. Misty placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Now hold on. The first teleport can be a little rough…you ready?"

I was quite nervous now, but I still managed to nod my head. Misty nodded in return and stared upward with one hand still on my shoulder and the other holding her Guild Seal. I closed my eyes, unsure of what to expect. I really hoped she knew what she was doing. I don't want to have to explain to Mum and Dad as to why I was now missing a leg or something…

I waited, listening to the hum of the Gate. However, a few minutes had passed and nothing had happened. I opened my eyes and looked up at my sister, who now had a confused look on her face.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Strange…" She said softly. "I can't teleport to Knothole Glade's Cullis Gate."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Someone must have deactivated it or it could just be malfunctioning. Either way this isn't good…"

"Not good?" I squeaked.

"Relax! We'll just have to use the one in Witchwood. It's not _too_ far from the Glade. How are your hiking legs?"

"Not good…" I said sadly.

"Don't worry. If we keep moving we can get there before dusk. Okay…you ready?"

I stared at her with anxiety filling my mind, but I nodded again.

"Alright! Here we go!" Misty exclaimed.

The light surrounding us began to glow brightly until I was blinded by it. I shut my eyes tightly and held onto Misty. Suddenly I felt like something was lifting me up into the air by my head upwards almost like I was being sucked into something. I held tighter, not sure of what was going on as the air around us swirled like a tornado. Then just as quickly as it started it ceased. I felt my feet hit solid ground, the swirling stopped and the light faded. My head felt like it was spinning slightly and my skin tingled. I then felt cold raindrops hit my body as I opened my eyes. We were now standing in a Cullis Gate with four small stone protrusions on the edge of it. Thick green trees now surrounded us with an open path in front of us that with trees in the center of it that traveled away beyond my view.

"Well, here we are!" Misty said with a hint of excitement. "And sure enough…it's raining…"

"Do you know how to get there from here?" I asked, throwing the hood of my cloak over my head.

"Of course! We just have to follow this path here."

"Have you been here before?"

"Actually…no. But a trader I've talked to before said that's all we have to do to get to Knothole Glade from here."

I whimpered.

"Oh, _relax!_ We'll be fine!" Misty stepped down from the Gate and onto the soaked grass. "Welcome to Witchwood, Maia!"


	2. Beasts and Balverines

**Chapter 2: Beasts and Balverines**

"This…really…sucks…"

"Oh, come on. Does a little rain bother you that much?"

"It's not the rain, it's all the walking…on this…crappy path!"

"Please, we haven't even gone that far! But…I take it you're not having any fun?"

"Ugh… Fun is…the last word I would use…"

Wet and miserable: two things I didn't want to be right now. Each time I took a step I thought my foot was going to sink deeply into the spongy wet grass. All we had done so far is climb the main path up the hill and to the right and already I was willing to call it quits. My clothes were soaked and my legs were aching a little from walking up this damn hill. Although I was fascinated by the scenery around us, with the deep green trees, stone pillars and other runic structures, I would still prefer the safety, comfort and warmth of Mum and Dad's new home. Misty, however, was obviously enjoying herself, grinning like a maniac and taking in everything that she saw. She couldn't care less about the danger we could possibly be in right now, being the one who knows how to defend herself out of the both of us. I on the other hand had an enormous amount of paranoia floating around my head and every little sound that came from the forest around us made me jump. I really hoped that this path of ours didn't lead us into any trouble and lead straight to Knothole Glade…

"Hey look! A skeleton!"

I spoke too soon…

Misty dashed off to our right as we reached a large open clearing with paths leading straight and to the right up another hill. I chased after her, trying not to trip over myself along the way or get sucked into the ground. I caught up to her and saw that she was kneeling over not one, but _two_ skeletons perched up against a wooden fence on the outside edges of the path. One was missing both legs while the other had an arrow stuck through one of its ribs.

"Eww…" I squeaked, covering my mouth.

"Wow…I never thought I'd see any of these up close…" Misty whispered. "They might've been wandering traders from this area. By the looks of it…they suffered pretty brutal deaths…"

"I'd rather not think about it…"

"Oh, chill out already! These two have probably been here for years. Plus, they didn't have a Hero on their side like you do –"

A loud rustling sound suddenly came from the trees directly in front of us.

"What was that?!" I exclaimed, feeling nervous.

"It's probably just an animal or something." Misty replied simply. "Let's keep going, shall we?"

"Yes, let's…as fast as possible…"

"Come _on_, Maia! What are you expecting to run into here? Jack of Blades?"

My mouth fell open and my eyes widened. I felt my heart drop into my stomach. _Please_ tell me she didn't just say that name out loud…

Misty started giggling. "I'm kidding, Maia! Relax! Besides, Jack of Blades has been dead for at least ten years now, remember? A Hero from Oakvale killed him! Our home town! I know you read about it in one those books of yours. Boy, it would be amazing if we ever met him, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah…sure…"

"Ugh…you're hopeless…"

Misty stood up and headed toward the wooden archway down the path ahead and I followed, still gazing at the spot the noise had come from. I thought I could see something moving and nearly screamed when a small bird suddenly darted out from the bushes and flew into the cloudy sky. I grabbed my heart, trying to slow down its pace. I took a deep breath and shook it off, walking under the archway and down the congested path, doing my best to keep up with Misty's quick pace.

After a few minutes we came to another clearing with a rocky wall on the right and a large pond on the left. I could see in the distance what looked like more stone pillars, but somehow they seemed a little…different. I kept moving forward towards the area, but something was bothering me. I looked left and right, wondering what it could be, but then I realized that Misty wasn't in front of me anymore.

"Misty…?"

I looked behind me and relaxed a little. Misty had stopped behind me and was staring at the rock wall, only it didn't seem like an ordinary wall. There was a smooth surface indented into the rock with a long crack in the center and it almost looked like a door of some sort. I walked back to where Misty was standing and stood next to her.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

"Shh!" She said, lifting a finger to her lips. "I think I hear something coming from this wall…"

"What?"

Suddenly I could hear crumbling coming from the wall. I stepped back, fearing the worst, and then I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. What looked like a face began to materialize on the surface of the wall as it twisted and turned and began to stretch out like something was trying to escape from it. Slowly the face took shape, turning into what looked like the head of an old man. Within moments what was once an unremarkable wall had become the stone head of a bearded old man with glowing pale eyes. It then slowly stretched its mouth open and spoke with a powerful and deep voice that echoed through the air.

"I only open to those who know my name. If you do, I'll pop right open for you…" The head boomed.

"I knew it!" Misty exclaimed.

"W-what?" I asked, bewildered by what I just saw.

"This is a Demon Door!"

"A what?"

"A Demon Door. It's a rock that has been endowed with consciousness that is said to guard all kinds of secrets and treasures. The only way to open them is to solve the riddles and games they ask of you."

"…Riddles and games…?"

"Yeah! You know, like a task or test of some sort."

"I'm already getting bored…" The Demon Door bellowed. "Do you know my name or not? If you do, then find and hit the magic stones to spell it out. Only two people know my name, though I doubt you'll find either of them…"

"Your name, huh? Let's see…" Misty muttered, bending her head low in thought. "Could it be…Billy?"

"Do you honestly think I would have a name as simple as that? And I just said to find and hit the –"

"How about…Melissa?"

"Oh for Avo's sake! That's a woman's name, you fool!"

"What about…Guildmaster?"

The Demon Door shook its stony head.

"Misty…" I began. "He just said –"

"…Thunder…bolt?"

"Nope…" The Demon Door said, clearly irritated.

"Maleficus?"

"No!"

"Sabre, maybe?"

"Ugh…"

"Um…Arseface?"

"Obviously you don't know my name, so why don't you two ladies just mosey along. Or you could just keep guessing. It's not like I got anything else to do…"

"Well…I tried. I guess we should just keep going… Come on, Maia…"

"Good! Now leave me alone…"

Misty turned and began walking down the path. I followed, but not before I glanced behind me and saw the Demon Door twist and fade back into a smooth wall again. The path took us down a slight decline and down to a spot with two paths branching off, one down to what looked like a cliff side area and the other through the thick forest trees.

"Hmm…which way?" Misty asked.

"I like that way better…" I said, pointing to the open area.

"They probably just lead to the same direction, but…okay."

Misty lead me down the path to the left and I looked to the side as I heard another bush rustle. I tried to ignore it as we arrived at the open area with several small ponds. I looked up in awe at the stone pillars that I saw earlier jutting out of the ground seemingly out of place. All four of them stuck straight up in the air as if someone had thrown them into the ground and they all had runic markings across their surfaces. I could see some kind of lettering on the bottom, but I couldn't tell which letters they were. I started to step toward one of them, but Misty threw her arm out in front of me.

"What?"

"Bandits…" Misty whispered.

"What?!"

I looked ahead across the pillars and spotted several muscular, leather clad men, each with a bandana on their head or over their faces and multiple tattoos across their bodies. They all had their own weapon and a nasty look to them.

"W-what do we do?" I squeaked.

"Go hide, Maia! I'll deal with them…"

"What?!"

"Hide!"

I didn't need to be told twice. I turned around and dashed toward a nearby boulder near some bushes and threw myself behind it. I stood behind it for several moments with my back against the boulder, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. I couldn't believe this. Misty was about to risk her life again when she shouldn't have to and here I was, helpless and useless as usual. I heard voices from behind me, followed by the unmistakable sound of blades clashing together. I heard shouts, more metal clashing, the grotesque sound of flesh being sliced open followed by a cry of pain… I started to shake, fearing the worst. I didn't want to look, afraid of what I might see. The sound of cries and more metal clanging together began to ring in my mind. Grunts were heard as well as a shout, and then the sound of a loud splash. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to see what was going on. I had to make sure my sister was alright…

I turned around and peeked around the edge of the boulder. I could just see through the tree trunks and bushes and spotted Misty and a bandit squaring off with each other. Their weapons were pinned against each other above their heads and their faces were within inches of each other. The bandit reached behind him and swung his fist, connecting to the side of Misty's face and making her stumble backwards. I gasped and flinched as if that blow had hit me. Misty quickly recovered and she and the attacking bandit started slashing furiously at each other like a pair of wild beasts. They lunged at each other and blocked each other's attacks, and then Misty swung her blade upward, knocking back the bandit. She immediately followed up with another attack, whirling her axe, which was glowing an unusual bright purple, in a spin with a fiery wave emitting from her weapon. The axe's blade went straight through the bandit's neck and his head flew up in the air with a stream of blood flying in every direction and then flopped to the ground with a sickening squishy thud. I looked away and felt queasy and covered my mouth again.

"Blimey! His bleedin' head's come off!" I heard another bandit shout. "I'll get you for that!"

"Bring it…" Misty panted.

I turned back to the action to see Misty charge forward like a beast out of hell. She shouted and disappeared, hidden from my view by the vegetation. I was about to look around the other side of the boulder to see if I could get a better view, but I felt a strong hand grip my arm.

"Hello girlie…" Said a deep voice.

My heart plummeted. I looked up slowly and my eyes met the dark ones of a very tall, very muscular, and very nasty looking bandit with enough bandages, tattoos and blood red cloth strung about his chest to make me dizzy. He smiled at me, and then threw me hard into the ground. I landed face first into the wet grass, breathing in a mouthful of the stuff. I spat and rolled onto my back and saw the bandit take slow steps toward me. I started crawling backward away from him and he started chuckling at my feeble attempt to escape. I wanted to scream but for some reason it caught in my throat painfully. I could feel tears sting my eyes…

Suddenly the bandits face exploded in a huge fireball, throwing him several feet away from me and sending sparks and flaming ash flying everywhere. I rolled over and covered my head to try to protect myself, but I felt something burning on my leg. I looked curiously and my eyes widened: my skirt had caught on fire. I screamed and stood up on my feet, batting away at the small flame on my leg while hopping around on one foot. Within moments and many pats later I managed to put it out, no thanks to the constant rain.

"Sorry about that…" Misty said, approaching me from behind. I scoffed at her, and then gazed at the smoking corpse of the bandit that nearly took my life. His entire upper body was now a nasty blackened, smoking heap of flesh with parts of his face clearly missing and his mouth sagging open. I looked away, feeling sick again.

"You alright?" Misty asked. I nodded my head and looked at Misty. Her lip was bleeding badly and she had a large bloody gash across her upper left arm. I gasped.

"You're hurt!"

"I'm fine." Misty said simply, wiping away the trickle of blood off her cheek. "Nothing a little potion can't fix!"

She pulled out a bottle of cloudy bright red liquid from the pack on her thigh, popped the cork out of it and drained it within a few gulps. I stepped back as her body emitted a soft red glow and quickly fade. She licked her lips and looked at her arm and we both saw that the gash there had vanished completely, though the leftover blood still stained her suit.

"See? Good as new!" She said cheerfully.

"Oh…" I said, somehow unsurprised. I have seen her drink one before, after all.

She looked ahead and forcefully pulled me behind her. I looked from behind her and saw two more bandits ahead on the path we had come down on. They both had crossbows raised and aimed in our direction. Misty raised her axe and I gazed at her with worry. Did she think she was going to simply deflect their arrows? Is she crazy?!

I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for the pain to come, when suddenly I heard a distant howl over the pouring rain. Everyone gazed around themselves as the howl filled the air with a soothing but frightening tone, a sound that chilled the bone and threw a bucket of ice water over one's heart. The howl was greeted by two more and they each sounded repeatedly, creating their own melody that echoed through the trees of the forest. Then just as quickly as they sounded they suddenly ceased and the woods had become quiet again except for the rainfall.

"This isn't good…" One of the bandits said with a fearful tone.

"Let's get out of here!" The other bandit exclaimed. The next moment both bandits dashed off up the hill at a surprising speed. Within the a few seconds they were completely out of sight.

"W-what was that?" I stuttered, shaking and gripping my sister tightly.

"Don't know…though I have an idea…" Misty replied softly. "We should keep moving, and fast…"

I took a couple of deep breaths to steady myself before following Misty across the stone pillars and up another small hill. I pushed myself to keep up with her now brisk pace and we soon came to another archway over the pathway. I wanted no more than to get out of these woods and arrive quickly at Mum and Dad's place with a book open in my arms, far away from whatever the hell that was. Somehow that howl didn't seem like it came from a friendly creature and by the look on Misty's face, she now probably wanted to get out of the forest as much as I did.

The path curved in and out of the trees and soon we came to another opening with two more paths to follow, one straight ahead and the other up the hill to the right. I could see the next archway down the path to the left, but I could also see some kind of stone structure to the right even though there were tree branches partially hiding it from view. My pace started to slow down as I stared curiously at the structure. Though I wasn't entirely sure, it looked very much like a temple of some sort and as I stared, I started to feel a strange sensation throughout my body. I began to feel strangely pleasant and warm inside, despite being soaked from the cold rain. I felt…happy…though I wasn't sure why. I couldn't break my gaze away from that temple. I wanted to go inside to see its internal beauty and perhaps find out why I feel so pleasant right now. Something told me that all of the answers I longed for were within…

"Um…Maia?"

I blinked. I suddenly noticed that Misty was shaking my shoulder lightly and that I was standing still. I looked around and noticed that I had walked a little ways up the path on the right toward the temple. I felt a little confused and my senses were beginning to function correctly again. I suddenly felt alert and realized that Misty was still shaking me.

"What?"

"You've been staring at the temple for several minutes now." Misty said.

"…I have?"

"Yeah. Any longer and I would've had to pick you up or drag you to Knothole Glade."

"Oh…"

"Come on, let's keep moving, otherwise whatever that was might catch up to us…"

"Right, right…"

Misty led the way back to the left path and I followed, though I could still feel a pleasant warmth within me. I took one last glance at the temple and then proceeded under the archway before I began to fall behind again. Something was still bothering me, though, and I wasn't sure if Misty would be able to help clear my mind of the burning question.

"Hey, Misty…" I began. "What was that place? That temple?"

"Judging by your little hypnotized moment you had and the energy I'm sensing, I'd say that's the Temple of Avo."

"The Temple of Avo?"

"Yeah. I've seen it before on the map table in the Guild. I asked the Guildmaster about it and he said that it was a place for those who seek enlightment, so long as they have gold to donate..."

"Enlightment…gold?" I said, still confused.

"That's what he told me. Apparently that temple is a location in which the Will is particularly strong and it tends people toward good."

"So that warm, happy feeling I was getting was…"

"Yep. You were sensing the positive Will energy of the temple. The Guildmaster said that there is another place in Albion where negative Will energy is strong and tends people toward evil. It's somewhere in Darkwood, though I can't remember its name…"

"Huh…sounds frightening…"

"Come on. I think we're almost there."

"Good! I'd like to know what it feels like to be dry again…"

We proceeded down the path, though somehow it seemed darker than usual. I felt uncomfortable, almost as if this was the wrong path to take even though I knew otherwise. We moved quickly, stepping over weeds and being careful not to stray away from our path. The trees felt like they loomed over me, watching my every move and waiting for me to fall into some sort of trap, but at least they sheltered us from the majority of the rainfall by the thickness of their branches. I moved closer to Misty, who continued forward without worry, and we rounded turn after turn. This part of the path felt like it was taking forever and I was starting to feel more and more nervous the longer we walked.

We both suddenly stopped. A little distance away to the left of the path came a deep, low growl from what seemed like behind one of the nearby trees. We gazed in its direction with fear rising in the air. My heart was pounding and my blood felt like ice. Then came another low growl, somewhere to our right, and then another from behind us, and then another. The growls hovered in the air all around us and gradually they became louder and seemingly closer. I gripped my sister's arm.

"M-Misty…" My voice shook.

"Stay calm! Don't make any sudden moves…" She said in almost a whisper. "Let's try to keep moving, but slowly…"

We took a small step forward, but the instant we did, a black creature fell right in front of us directly on the path. It was a creature with a bony structure, revealing ribcage, thin black fur and long razor sharp claws. The creature shook its head and ruffled its thick mane and brandished its long, sharp yellow teeth. I jumped as another identical creature leapt behind us from out of the bushes, and then two more appeared from among the trees. They all gazed at us with their glowing yellow eyes. I felt my heart freeze again. We were surrounded!

"Balverines…" Misty said softly, reaching for the hilt of her axe. "I've read about them in my _Creatures of Albion_ books. They're really aggressive creatures."

"Y-you think?!" I squeaked, eying a balverine on my right that was licking its teeth.

Misty unsheathed her axe. "It looks like they're not giving us a choice. We'll have to fight them. Get your katana out, Maia!"

"_We'll_ have to?!"

"These things are fast are fast and agile, it'll be hard to hit them…"

"Have you fought these things before?"

"No…actually…"

I moaned.

"Whatever you do, don't let any of them bite you!"

The balverine in front of us stood on its hind legs and reared its head back. It cracked its toothy mouth open and let out a low but piercing howl. I covered my ears, desperate to limit the pain that was ringing in my ears. The balverine quickly stopped and it then lunged toward us. Misty knocked me to the ground and swung her axe, stopping the balverine's attack. It bounced backward, but then immediately unleashed slash after slash at Misty. She did her best to block each blow, but each hit was so powerful that I could see that she was losing ground and losing her balance. The creature then reared back and swiped at Misty, finally knocking her down…and onto me.

"Oof!"

"Sorry!"

Misty and I managed to untangle ourselves and we both quickly got onto our feet. The other balverines were slowly closing in, each baring their teeth and growling. One lunged forward and slammed into Misty, knocking her flat on her back with the balverine on top of her. I screamed her name as the creature started to swing at her, but then I screamed even louder as I felt knives cleave across the back of my right shoulder through my clothes. It was followed by an incredible blow in the center of my back, throwing me forward and face first into the grass. I then felt a powerful force slam into me, sending me spinning and flipping through the air until I landed hard in the grass again. My head was spinning with pain and dizziness and my shoulder felt like it was on fire and I could feel warm blood trickling down my back from it. I slowly raised myself on all fours and shook my head, unsure of what exactly threw me into the air.

"Sorry!" I heard Misty yell.

I looked up to see her slashing away at a balverine with connecting blows, each accompanied by a cry of pain and a few drops of deep red blood flying in the air. Misty swung furiously at the beast as it tried to fight back with its claws. She gripped her axe with both hands and it started to glow a bright purple color, and then she swung hard and emitted a fiery wave from her weapon. The strike knocked the balverine to the ground and it remained there, motionless. Misty then turned her attention to me and raised her arm in the air. Her hand started to glow red and a small fireball formed in it.

"Duck!" She shouted.

I obeyed, crouching down and covering my head with my hands as I felt the heat from the fireball soar over me and hit something behind me that cried in agony. I looked behind me to see a balverine with burnt fur lying on its back, but then I looked ahead to see another balverine with its jaws locked over Misty's axe. She tried to push it back with all her strength but it wouldn't give in. I heard growling to my right and saw another balverine slowly creeping toward me, staring at me with its hungry eyes and jumped when I looked behind me to see the burnt balverine raise itself back up to its feet. It then began to move toward me as well.

"Run!" Misty shouted over her balverine's fierce growls.

My feet suddenly started to take me away off to the right. I ran as fast as they could take me, leaping over tree roots and through bushes. I did my best to ignore the pain in my shoulder in my back as I ran. I glanced behind me to see the two balverines chasing me and quickly closing the distance between us. I forced my legs to move faster through the woods even though they were pleading for rest. Tears began to flow from my eyes and across my face and I could feel my pack slipping off gradually. I leaped over another tree root and my pack finally slipped off and fell in the grass, but I wasn't about to slow down to retrieve it and kept moving. I ran and ran and ran, ignorant as to where I was going, but I didn't care. I only wanted to escape from my pursuers with my life. But my lungs were burning and my whole body was aching; I had to stop. I couldn't run anymore. I slowed down to a stop even though my mind said not to, and kneeled over with my hands on my knees. I gasped for air and my heart felt like it was going to leap right out of my chest. I took breath after breath and tried to steady myself as I swayed a little. The pain in my shoulder was blinding me and I felt like I was going to faint from it. I gazed around me as my breathing began to slow down and suddenly came to a frightening realization: I was alone. I looked behind me and didn't see either of the balverines. They had given up chasing me! I was safe! Well, safer…

I couldn't help but smile. Somehow the fact that I had outran two deadly beasts felt like an incredible victory to me. I managed to let out a small laugh between shorts breaths and I stood up straight, feeling the burning pain in my entire back now. I looked at my surroundings to make absolutely sure that I was indeed alone. I listened intently to the woods and could only hear the trickling of the pouring rain and rustling of the vegetation around me. I felt my body relax. I was still alive and safe and was by myself and no one was here with me…

My heart suddenly froze. I was _alone_…

And that meant…

Oh no…

Oh my…Misty…

"Misty…"

I turned around and faced the direction I had come from. I felt a choking feeling in my throat.

"Misty!"

I started to run again, despite my body's refusal. Tears were streaming from my eyes again, tears of fear instead of agony. I whirled in and out of the trees, my thoughts now entirely on my sister. I couldn't believe what I had done. I shouldn't have run away! I should have stayed and helped her, even though I didn't know how to fight. I should have been there for her, like she had been for me. And now she could be in even more danger than I was. I hated myself for it. She could even be… How stupid of me! How could I do such a thing?! Idiot! You should be ashamed of yourself! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

I slowed down to a halt and realized that I had made it back to the path in what felt like mere moments. I searched up and down the path, but I couldn't see anything…not my sister…not any balverines…no wildlife…nothing. The path was completely deserted of any living thing. It was quiet, almost as if the path itself was mocking me. I clenched my fists. Did I go too far? Or was I simply off a little? I looked right and decided to head that way and dashed down the path. I followed the path exactly and didn't veer away from it in the slightest. I looked ahead and came to another halt. I could see something lying still against a tree to the left of the path. It looked a bit too much like…

"Misty…"

I ran forward toward the body, choking on more tears. I reached it and stood over it, not wanting to look but at the same time I had to. I shut my eyes and turned to the side, swallowing hard. I then opened my eyes. It was indeed my sister, lying motionless against the tree. There was crimson in the grass all around her and a little splattered on the surrounding trees. I hiccupped, my legs gave out and I fell to my knees. Misty's body was covered with blood, her leather suit was ripped all over and her hair was a tangled mess. Her axe was lying useless a few feet away and it too was soaked in blood. There were deep bloody gashes across her left arm and leg, across her chest and midriff, and a river of blood was flowing down her face from her forehead and soaking her suit. I reached toward her with a shaking hand and touched her face. It was somewhat cold…

"M-Misty…" I sniffed "Oh Avo please…no, no, no, no…"

I shook her body with my hands. I cried her name out, shaking her. I cried her name again and again and again, but not a word or sound escaped her lips. I stopped shaking her and her head rolled limply to the side. I pulled her body toward me until she was leaning on me and wrapped my arms around her. I closed my eyes tightly…

And then I cried…

And cried…

This has to be some kind of nightmare. This can't be happening…not to me…

No…

I don't understand…

Why…?

What had I done?

It's not fair… It's not fair at all…

Why? Why?

My friend….my sister…gone?

I'm alone…

I opened my eyes. I could hear a familiar low growl nearby. My eyes darted all around me but I couldn't see where it was coming from. I leaned my sister's body back against the tree gently and quickly got to my feet. I grabbed the hilt of my katana, wrestled it off of my belt and readied it. The growling became louder and I held my sword higher. I heard rustling above and glanced up and a balverine plummeted to the ground, landing with a heavy thud on its hind legs. Two more balverines then fell from above, landing behind the first. They each stood still, staring at me with those heartless eyes. They had taken my sister's life, and now they clearly wanted mine…

They continued to growl and their mouths were open, baring their nasty teeth into what almost looked like a smile…a mocking smile, one that was unfeeling and uncaring…

My grip began to tighten on the sword.

How could they do such a thing…?

They kept staring at me, as if they were waiting for me to take off running again…

Even if they were wild creatures, why would they take such pride in what they have done? In killing someone who would have done them no harm?

My body was trembling. But it didn't feel like it was from sorrow…

"You…" I said softly.

They slowly began to move forward, still wearing those mocking smiles. They held out their claws, ready to tear into my flesh…

"You…"

They were getting closer. My eyes had met with the eyes of the closest balverine. I stared deep into its soulless voids and didn't break from its gaze. My sister is dead, and it is the fault the creatures standing before me…

They can't get away with this…

No…

"YOU BASTARDS!"

I screamed. I lifted my katana high in the air and rushed toward the closest balverine. I swung outward, only to feel nothing but air as I nearly lost balance from the force of my swing. The balverine had leapt backward several feet away while the other two stood their ground, watching me eagerly. I roared, and charged toward one of them, swinging like a madwoman who had caught on fire. Each time I attacked it would dodge my slashes by leaping through the air or to the side. Furious, I rushed toward one of the other ones and swung. It swung back, striking my blade and sending my sword arm backward and off balance. I quickly recovered and struck again, missing by mere inches as it dodged me. I cried in fury and raised my sword high in the air, ready to cleave this monster in half, but one of the others dove at me and slammed into my stomach, sending me skidding across the soft wet ground on my back. I held my belly in pain and attempted to raise myself back up, but the balverine was already on top of me. It opened its mouth wide and lurched toward my face. I swung my katana, slashing the creature across its ugly mug. It screeched and lurched again just as I swung and it caught my sword right in its mouth between its teeth. I gripped the other end of the sword and tried to yank it out, jerking its head left and right. My hand slipped, and the blade sliced right across my left palm, making me shriek in pain. The balverine then let go of my sword and pushed off of the ground, rising high into the air and into the branches of the surrounding trees.

I lifted myself up to my feet and clutched my hand. There now was a lovely deep gash across the center and blood was oozing freely from it.

Well, that was a stupid idea…

I tried to shake it off and swallowed my tears and gazed upward, searching for the balverine that vanished into the treetops. My attention was brought down to my level as I heard growling from the other two balverines, who were still standing in the same places. I readied my sword, waiting for one of them to strike, but neither of them would move. Somehow this seemed rather unusual, considering how they have been so aggressive earlier. I stared at them, worrying. What were they planning?

Out of nowhere the missing balverine fell from the sky and lashed at me, lashing its claw into my hand and knocking my sword out of it. I clutched my arm with my bleeding hand, moaning, and watched fearfully as my katana flew through the air and landed somewhere in the bushes a great distance away. I turned back to my attacker, just in time to feel its fist smash into the side of my face. It followed up with another hit, and another, and another, and another. It swung repeatedly at every part of my body, each blow feeling like a sledgehammer that could shatter me like glass. It seemed endless and I could feel my body start to break under its incredible strength. It reared back and swung again, its fist connecting with my cheek and knocking me to the ground.

I laid there on my back, cool raindrops falling onto my hot skin. My chest and head were throbbing painfully and it felt like my face had been bashed in. I moaned weakly and cracked open a swollen eye to see all of the balverines closing in. I tried to get up, but my broken body refused. I was disarmed and in agony. I let the tears flow from my closed eyes and I let my head fall back to the ground.

This was it…I was going to die…just like my sister before me…

I tried…and failed miserably…

No…I…don't want to…

Their growling was getting louder and closer. Closer to death…

I just…wanted to see my parents…with my sister…again…

I guess…it just…wasn't meant to be…

Oh…I didn't even get to finish _The Trials of Aarkan_…

Looks like…this…is really…goodbye…

There was a sudden flash of light that went through my eyelids. I heard some kind of whooshing sound and felt a rush of wind and it was immediately followed by the sound of steel meeting flesh. There was a howl, a clanging, and then a blast like an explosion. I could feel a lot of movement nearby, but my head was spinning and throbbing and I couldn't understand. There was another howl, but weaker, and a thud like something collapsing. Then there were more slicing sounds, a clang, another slice, and another thud. It was followed up by a flash of light, a slash, another bright flash, another slash, and then another explosion that I could feel a wave of intense heat from and that shook the ground. There was another weak howl, and then a third soft thud.

All was silent. I could feel my mind fading away, but I could also still hear something…something like footsteps coming toward me… Using the last of my strength and willpower, I raised my head inches off the ground. I cracked open my eyes and stared up. My vision was blurry and dark…but I could just…make out the shape…of something…no, someone…standing over me…

My vision darkened…and then there was nothing…


	3. Pleasant Company

**Chapter 3: Pleasant Company**

Dark…everything was dark…

Strange…I felt like I was…floating in the air…or falling…

Pain…oh, this terrible pain…

It was cold…something was continuously tickling my skin…and a trickle of warmth…

Spinning…everything was spinning…

There was a voice…a deep voice…one that echoed through the air…

An answer…someone answered the voice…another deep one…

Something was rumbling, cracking…or was it…crumbling…?

It hurts…oh, it hurts…

Just…please…let me…die…

***************

My head was whirling, but I could hear something…like a small drop of water splashing lightly into a pool. It was very quiet except for that dripping, but there was something else… Something that sounded like…singing? Or was it…humming? I couldn't tell, but it was soothing and soft and it was singing a tune that I had heard of before and liked very much…

Oh, I wish my head didn't hurt so bad…

Wait a minute, that voice…it was very familiar, one I had heard rather recently, I think… But who was it? And where was it coming from? I felt somewhat light headed, like I was floating through the air and that voice was singing to me from a distance… I tried to reach forward, but my arm was incredibly weak and fell limply to the hard ground.

Wait…the ground…?

I moved my palm face down and tapped lightly, feeling a soft, yet hard surface. There was something over me, like a blanket, though couldn't imagine how that got there. I tried to turn my head, but I felt a strong sting of pain in my face and decided to keep still. Everything was spinning again and I cracked my stinging lips open. A long, weak moan then escaped from my mouth.

"Oh, you're awake… It's about time!"

…What?

I cracked open my eyes, or at least the one that wasn't swollen. It was very dark and blurry, but I could just make out what looked like a stalactite hanging from the rocky ceiling a little to the left. I must be staring up at the ceiling of a cave, or something… I blinked and slowly started to realize that my throbbing head was lying on something soft and…fleshy. I lifted my wobbling arm and reached for my pillow and tried to feel what I was laying on. I bent my head upward and could see the face of someone, a woman, and one who looked a lot like…

"Misty…?" I croaked.

The woman smiled. "Hey sis."

I felt my breath catch in my throat. I stared wide-eyed at her as my vision began to clear, and she kept grinning at me. I slowly raised myself up, feeling stabs of pain all over my chest and shoulder. I turned gently to my side, and saw my sister sitting down with her legs straight out to the left. I stared at her, and stared, and stared some more and she just sat there with that goofy grin of hers. But slowly that grin started to turn into a frown.

"What?" She said.

Before I knew it, I had thrown my arms over her and was squeezing her tightly while tears started streaming from my eyes. Misty hissed in pain, and then slowly wrapped her arms around me and started to rub my back up and down to try to calm my shaking body down.

"It's alright, sis, I'm here now." She said softly. "I'm alive and so are you…"

"I-I thought y-you were gone!" I managed to say between hiccups.

She breathed in a deep sigh and continued to hold me and rub my back. I cried and cried and cried and I didn't care in the slightest. The pain that filled my body merely moments ago had vanished as earlier memories overwhelmed my mind. I had thought that she had been taken from me forever, but here she was, holding me as I bawled my eyes out. I took a few deep breaths to try to calm myself, hiccupping a few times. I slowly loosened my grip on Misty and lifted myself off of her. I turned my aching body entirely toward her and sat upright, staring into her concerned face. She placed her hands onto my shoulders.

"Sheesh, calm down, sis…" She said. "Feel better now?"

I nodded my head and wiped the heavy tears from my eyes. I took a long look at her, and frowned at all the blood-stained bandages that were wrapped all around her head, left arm and leg and across her chest and stomach. There were a few reddish cuts scattered across her bare skin and underneath her bandages I realized that she only had on her undergarments.

"Wha…what happened to your clothes?" I asked. I felt a cold wind blow by and shivered slightly. My eyes widened with another realization and I gazed down at my own body to see that I was in my undergarments as well, along with quite a few bandages of my own with a large one covering my left eye. I quickly shielded myself with my arms. "What happened to_ my_ clothes?!"

"Relax, sis." Misty said simply, waving her hand. "Still the same old Maia even after a near-death experience. We're the only ones in here; I checked already. They're right over there on that stand, along with our other things. I took off both of our clothes when I came to because they were a mess. I was going to wash them, but there isn't much water in here to do that with and they're so ripped that I probably shouldn't bother."

She pointed to her right at the large wooden stands in front of us. I leaned to the side to see that our belongings were indeed all resting on the stand. Our clothes were hanging off the edge and I could see all the blood stains and rips from the dim light of the lone torch on the opposite side of the room. Misty's axe and my katana were leaning against the stand with their blades to the ground and they still had traces of blood on their surfaces. To my amazement, both of our packs were also there, lying right next to our tattered clothing.

"Hey, our packs!" I exclaimed. "But I thought I dropped mine in the woods! Who brought it here?"

"No idea…" Misty said. "But what I would like to know is _who_ brought _us_ here…and where we are…"

I stared at her. She does have a point for once. I racked my brain, trying to remember what had happened before I fell unconscious. I was sure that we were goners, but just as I felt death reach out to me, something happened. I heard sounds around me like a fierce battle was occurring, and then there was nothing. And then there was someone standing over me before...

Could that have been…?

I shook my thoughts away and gazed around me to see that we were in a roomy cavern with glowing mushrooms scattered across the moist walls. A small bookcase stood against the wall across from the stands and it had at least six books on its shelves, though they all looked tattered and worn to the spine, much to my displeasure. The two torches that I could see lit up the room dimly to reveal the large wooden stands, as well as multiple crates and what looked like an old wooden carriage next to the stands. I couldn't really see the ceiling clearly, but somehow I could tell that it went up pretty high. There was more off to the right, but from where we were I couldn't see around the large carriage. I just then realized that we were sitting on a large, soft, and thick blanket that looked like it had seen better days. I guess it was better than lying on the hard damp floor. It almost seemed as though this place had been used before, but if it was, it must have been a long time ago. I wanted to explore the rest of the cavern and began to stand up, but the instant I tried to lift myself up on my leg I felt an incredible surge of pain in my back and chest. I yelped, and fell forward limply onto Misty's lap, who yelped as well and clutched her leg.

"S-sorry…" I muttered. I pushed myself off of her and felt more burning pain in my shoulder blade. "You…wouldn't happen to have any of those…health potions, would you?"

Misty shook her head sadly. "I used them all, both during the fight and after we got here. I used my last one for you."

I bent my head down and somehow felt ashamed and felt a large lump rise in my throat.

"You should rest for now. I think you're in worse shape than me at the moment, so you should take it easy."

I nodded and stretched my right arm, wincing at the pain. I suddenly started to feel warm liquid trickle down my back from my shoulder. I tried to look behind me and could barely see a long trial of blood flowing steadily down the crease of my back. "Oh, great…"

"What?" Misty said, leaning close to me. She turned me with her hand and gazed at my back. "Oh no…hold on. I'll get you some new bandages."

She stood up slowly and limped on one foot toward where our packs were on the stand, wobbling a little with each step. I watched her dark, slender silhouette dig into her pack and pull out a roll of bandages, some pads and a small cloth, and then limp her way back toward me. I felt sad as I watched her carefully sit back down in front of me and then scoot her way slowly behind me. She set down her supplies and I felt her hands reach my bra strap and snap it apart. I squeaked and covered myself.

"W-what are you doing?!"

"Taking your bra off." Misty said simply as if it was no big deal.

"Why?!"

"So I can put some new bandages on you, of course! It's in the way and it'll make my job a lot easier if it wasn't there. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing and I already said we're the only ones here."

I didn't like it, but I suppose she was right. Here she was again, taking care of me. I let her slip off my last remaining comfort zone and she tossed it aside. I covered myself up again and could feel my face burning, even though it was a little on the chilly side as evidenced by the perkiness I felt in my palms. Misty wiped my back with her cloth and then slowly peeled off the bandages on my shoulder blade, making me wince from the sharp stings. She threw the bad bandages to the side and dabbed at my injuries lightly, and then placed the pads over my wounds. She pressed the pads against my back and taped some bandages over them carefully and then lightly pressed those on as well.

"There…all done." Misty said cheerfully. "Happy now?"

"Yeah…" I muttered. "Can I have my bra back now? It's cold in here…"

"Sure, though it's a little bloody, too…"

She handed it to me and I quickly put it on, trying to minimize the amount of time I was exposed in case some invisible guy was staring at me. Misty giggled while she tossed the cloth and bandages aside and moved herself next to me and then laid herself down. She pulled another blanket over herself and set her head down on the incredibly flat pillow we had. She let out a long sigh and slowly closed her eyes.

"I'm going to sleep…" She said weakly. "Just…a quick one. You should too. Maybe we'll recover a bit…so we can find out where we are…"

"Um…sure…" I said softly. I grabbed my own blanket and gently eased myself down close to her so that my whole body was on our small "bed" and wrapped the blanket around my aching body. I shifted and tossed and turned, but I couldn't find a comfortable position. I shouldn't be surprised, considering that we're lying on a mere blanket. I turned toward my sister to see that she was already asleep. I sighed and decided to accept the fact that I wouldn't be getting comfy. I watched Misty breathe in and out slowly and gazed at her peaceful face. I brushed a lock of hair from her face and strung it behind her ear. I wasn't sure how she could do it, but I guess sleeping on the ground was something a Hero eventually got used to.

I watched my sister sadly. Seeing her now in a weakened state reminded me too much of one of her first adventures. We had just moved to Oakvale after Misty's graduation and she was ready to begin her new life as a Hero. After we had settled into our new house on the west side of town, I watched my sister with worry as she ran around town meeting our new neighbors and I tried to follow. It wasn't long before we ran into Horace and his cronies, and after a few snarky remarks from them I already felt like moving. Within a few days Misty was ready to travel across Albion and packed her gear up. She had heard around town that Oakvale was often attacked by bandit gangs and for some reason she decided to take it upon herself to rid the town of these threats as "proof of her Heroicness." She gathered her things and left without so much as a goodbye and only said to me that she would return by night. I locked myself in our house with my books and only came out once night had settled. I waited for hours that night at the entrance to the town, but she didn't return. I waited and waited and only until I felt sleep upon me did I return home with a strange emptiness in my heart. The next five days I spent the days reading my books and the nights waiting for her arrival, but she wouldn't come and I felt rather afraid. On the sixth night, however, after waiting for at least two hours, I could see the outline of something moving slowly toward where I stood. I watched the figure for a while, until it got close enough for me to identify it as my sister. I rushed toward her with my heart racing and wild thoughts surging in my head. I reached her just as she collapsed into my arms with blood soaking her shirt around her stomach and a large cut across her cheek. I dragged her back to our house and spent the next week tending to her wounds the only way I knew how: make her drink health potions and cover up her injuries with bandages. I never left her side for a moment except to buy food and to use the restroom. I felt terrible and thought that I should have went with her, but I knew she would have wanted to travel alone on her first trip and I wouldn't have been of any use to her anyway. Some nights it would seem like she wasn't recovering and it scared me to death. Often I would try to read some of my books to her to see if it would help our mood, but she would just lay in bed half conscious and motionless. I felt so helpless as though I wasn't doing what I could, like I wasn't being caring enough as her sister. I really thought I was going to lose her forever…

I never wanted to feel that way again…

So much for that, though…

I curled up closer to Misty until our heads were nearly touching and rested my still throbbing head on her pillow. I took a last glance at her face and closed my eyes, and waited for sleep to come and wash away this nightmare of ours.

***************

I awoke with a jerk of my head, much to its delight. I could hear the crackling of what sounded like fire a short distance away. A warm light pierced through my eyelid and I covered my face with my blanket. I didn't feel like getting up yet; I still felt rather tired and my body was still aching. I stirred and tried to get back to sleep, but then I heard a voice like a whisper, one that sounded like a male's. I opened my good eye, seeing nothing but darkness. I lifted the blanket off of my head and sat up on my hands. I leaned over to the side to see past the stands where the bright orange glow was coming from. I could see a small group of people sitting around a small fire at the other side of the cavern nearby the end of the second wooden stand. I recognized the closest figure as Misty, who had her blanket wrapped around herself, but I didn't recognize the other two figures. They were all mumbling softly among themselves, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. The light from the fire danced around each of them and I could now see that the other two figures where two other men. One of them was wearing a tall hat and sitting atop a nearby crate and the other had black hair and a really long, curly mustache. Why Misty would be talking to two strangers was beyond me, especially in our current situation. Nevertheless, I had to see what was going on.

I stood up carefully as to not anger any of my wounds and wrapped my blanket tightly over my body, as it reminded me that I was still nearly naked when it touched my bare skin. I moved slowly toward the group and I could feel the pleasant warmth of the fire the closer I got. I stood a few feet away and the man with the mustache looked up and nodded toward me. Misty turned around and smiled at me.

"Ah, she lives!" She said cheerfully. "We have company, as you've noticed. Come on, sit down."

I sat down slowly next to Misty with my eyes continuously on the two men. I really hoped that there was nothing funny going on and already I could feel multiple questions filling my mind, starting with…

"Who…?"

"Oh, these two are traders in Witchwood." Misty said, reading my mind. "They came in here when the door opened about an hour ago and helped me make this fire."

"…A door? What door?"

"Well, I did some snooping around in here and found out that we were actually stuck in here since a stone wall bars the only way out."

"We're what?!" I exclaimed.

"Relax! I found out something else about this cavern and where we are."

"…Where?"

"We're in the area that Demon Door we saw earlier was guarding!"

"…We are?"

"Yeah!"

"How do you know?"

"Because of these traders here. I was examining the wall when suddenly it just opened up and in came a bunch of people. I asked them how they opened it up and they said the Demon Door let them all in. But to think that all that the Door was guarding was this cavern is a little disappointing. There's not even any treasure in here! Well, I guess there was, since the two worn chests in here are empty and that silver one… I guess someone beat us to the punch…"

"But…how? The Demon door wouldn't let us in after you tried to guess its name."

"Well, we know its name now." Said the trader with the hat. "Or rather, a Hero who knew its name hit the magic stones and the Door let us in."

"Uh, correction my friend." Said the mustached trader. "You mean THE Hero let us in."

"Oh yes, yes…"

"But…why did you guys want to come in here?" I asked.

"Well, judging by yours and your sister's wounds there, you know that it's not safe out there…" Answered the hat-wearing trader. "We were delivering some supplies and goods to Knothole Glade and the Witchwood Arena when we were attacked by some balverines close to the Temple of Avo. Nasty creatures, they are. A Guard and a touring family were traveling with us as well, but there is only so much we and one Guard could do against a whole nest of those things…"

"Wait…there was a Guard and a family with you too?" I asked.

The trader pointed off to my right. I looked over to see a man and a woman sitting on the small steps to the broken carriage and holding their young daughter closely, each with a scared expression on their faces and wearing wet and worn clothing. They each looked up at me and the woman gave me a weak smile while the man gazed back down at his child and I noticed that he had a reddened bandage on his side under his arm. I saw movement to the left out of the corner of my eye and could see the form of a large Guard with a blue uniform and multiple bandages that were stained with blood from many cuts across his body. He was resting against the side of one of the chests that Misty had spoken of. The visor of his hat was covering his eyes and he was breathing slow and steadily. He was apparently asleep as he let out a somewhat quiet snore between breaths. I couldn't help but feel sorry for them all.

"It's rather strange…" Piped up the mustached trader. "The paths across Witchwood used to be relatively safe. Can't say that about this place anymore…"

"Well, there have always been bandits, right?" Misty asked.

"Sure, but I've been traveling through Witchwood for a long time and never have the balverines been this active before. They usually hide deep in the woods and only attack those who cross their path. But now it's as if they go out of their way to find and kill any wandering travelers. Luckily this place was nearby. With the way things were going, there was no way we would all get to Knothole Glade safely."

"It's a good thing that Hero bloke arrived in time." The mother spoke out, caressing her child's back softly. "I thought we were all finished once our Guard was knocked unconscious by those foul beasts…"

"Indeed…" The father spoke softly. "We all owe him our lives…"

Misty leaned forward. "So…who is this Hero you guys keep talking about?"

"Ah…only one of the greatest Heroes to ever walk the lands of Albion…or so it is said." The mustached trader spoke, leaning forward toward the small fire. "I've heard from some folks from Knothole Glade about his deeds. They say that years ago he slew the white balverine and conquered the Witchwood Arena, and even defeated other Heroes in combat. He's one of the most renowned Heroes in history and his amazing deeds far outreach those of any other."

"Yes, but I've also heard of many other things about him." The hat-wearing trader frowned. "I've heard that he has committed terrible deeds that were just as great as his noble ones. He has killed innocent traders and people on his travels, and even sacrificed as few to Skorm himself, though I wouldn't know how. I also heard that he often steals and vandalizes the towns that he visits, inflicting harm upon anyone he encounters…"

"It's hard to tell which tales are true or false, for stories and rumors all go under the test of time…" Said the mustached trader. "He has earned the praise and scorn of many across Albion, and there aren't many books detailing his life and achievements. Nobody even knows what his actual name is."

"But the greatest of all of the tales is one fairly recent one…" Whispered the hat-wearing trader. "They say that he is the one who killed Jack of Blades himself!"

I thought I felt time itself stop. My breath caught in my throat, Misty looked like she had a heart attack, the family each had their eyes popping out of their heads and I thought I saw the Guard suddenly jerk awake.

"Are you serious?!" Misty exclaimed. "Ohmigosh! This is…amazing!"

"How can you be so sure that this guy is the same Hero?!" I asked, somehow still unsure that I heard that correctly.

The hat-wearing trader shook his head. "I…really don't know, it's hard to explain. Somehow I felt that the minute he came to our rescue that he was the one…"

"I think it's his appearance…" The mustached trader said. "He had a few scars on his face and he wielded that sword from the stone, which could only be pulled out by a true Hero. According to the stories, anyway…"

"Nah, it couldn't be him…" The father said, shaking his head. "There are lots of Heroes around Albion. He could be just another one fresh from that Guild. Besides, the Hero who killed Jack disappeared shortly after all that mess and wasn't seen again."

"I wouldn't be so sure, mate." The Guard spoke weakly, catching everyone's attention by surprise. "I've never seen anyone, even those in the Guard, fight like that before. Whether it's his skill with the blade or that Will stuff he was using, he's no doubt…a powerful warrior…and no ordinary man…"

"Hey, you've finally woke up!" The mustached trader exclaimed, getting up and moving to the wounded Guard and stood over him. "How ya feeling?"

The trader patted him on the back gently, making the Guard flinch in pain. The Guard growled and waved his arm at the trader to shoo him away. Misty giggled and the mother and father both grinned slightly. The trader took the hint and sat back down next to his partner by the fire on the ground. We all sat in silence for quite a while, staring at the comforting flames or at each other. No one really moved that much, but I felt a slight rumbling in my stomach and rubbed it, knowing what it was craving for.

"His eyes…" Said a soft, high-pitched voice suddenly.

I looked up. Everyone was gazing around the cavern wondering who that came from, until everyone's eyes landed on the little girl still in her parents' arms. Her parents looked down at their child, seemingly just as surprised as everyone else was.

"What was that?" The mother asked softly, confused.

"It's his eyes." The girl said again. "Something…about his eyes…tells me it's him."

The mother and father looked at each other, concerned and worried as if they were convinced that something had suddenly possessed their daughter and made those words come out of her mouth. But I didn't think that was the case with her. The girl's brown eyes were clear and confident and she wore a stern expression that told me that she knew exactly what she was talking about. This almost made it seem like she was a lot older than she appeared to be, like a woman full of wisdom rather than a small girl of about ten years of age. She gazed at us all and spoke again with a louder voice.

"He looked at me, and then I looked into his…deep blue eyes…and could see things. I felt it…" The girl held her hands close to herself.

"Felt what?" The father asked.

The girl gazed into the fire. "I felt…happiness and relief, pride and strength, but…there was also…pain and sadness and regret… And I thought I could see a…ring of sand…and blood…in his eyes…"

Everyone stared at the girl. The mother and father frowned at her, the Guard looked at her like she was crazy, the traders had blank looks on their faces and Misty stared with narrow, thoughtful eyes. I was amazed by the girl's words as they sounded like something I had read in one of my books before, but I can't remember which one. Her words echoed in my mind as the cavern fell silent again in wonder.

No one spoke again for what felt like ages and I certainly wasn't about to break the still air. I wrapped my blanket tightly around me as I huddled close to the small fire as did Misty and I did my best to ignore my rumbling stomach. But it wouldn't let up and it was starting to become more painful than unpleasant. I looked passed the mustached trader and could see two large backpacks leaning against the wall. Well, they were traders after all… Maybe they have something?

I opened my mouth, ready to speak, but the moment I did a low rumbling sound came from the direction of the cavern's entrance. It sounded like rocks were shifting slowly and cracking apart. Everyone looked at the entrance curiously. I felt my heart begin to speed up and somehow felt afraid of what was happening.

"W-what's going on?" I asked.

The hat-wearing trader stood up on his feet. "The Demon Door is opening… It looks like the Hero has returned."


	4. A Hero That Never Was

**Chapter 4: A Hero That Never Was**

A dim light started to shine from the entrance of the cavern. My heart felt like it was racing as if an impending doom was approaching, though I wanted to believe otherwise. The hat-wearing trader walked over to the entrance while carefully stepping over the Guard's legs. Everyone watched as he stood by the dark entrance and he looked down the tunnel to greet whoever it was that was arriving. The light from the tunnel slowly got brighter and heavy footsteps could be heard echoing off of the cavern walls out of it. The hat-wearing trader stepped into the tunnel without fear and took a few steps into it. I then heard those heavier footsteps come to a slow halt.

"Ah! Welcome back, Hero!" The trader's voice echoed from the tunnel. "We've been waiting for you!"

The trader's light footsteps were heard quickly followed by the heavier ones. I felt tension build up quickly within me and I could see the excitement increasing in Misty's face. I wrapped my blanket tighter around me, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. The light that was shining from the tunnel suddenly vanished and the entrance became dark again. The hat-wearing trader reappeared from the tunnel and was closely followed by a large man who was much taller than him. The hat-wearing trader stepped aside to allow the large man to enter the cavern.

"Good to see you…" The Guard said softly.

The father finally let go of his daughter and stood up from his seat. He then walked over to the man and held out his hand. "Glad to see you back."

The man took the father's hand, slowly shook it and quickly let go.

"Should the Demon Door be closed?" The hat-wearing trader asked the man, who shook his head slightly.

Everyone watched the man as he slowly approached our small campfire. As he got closer and stopped, the warm orange glow began to reveal his features. The man looked even bigger up close as I could see his muscles stretch his soaking wet outfit to its limits. A quick look made me realize that he was wearing a nearly identical outfit to Misty's leather suit, only its colors were slightly different. He wore what looked to me like a fisherman's hat, but it also matched the colors of his suit. He wore the hat low over his face and it cast a shadow over his eyes, but I could still see his whiskery, strong chin and short dark sideburns. The fire's light danced off of his light skin and it made a thick scar that traveled across his left cheek and the bridge of his nose very noticeable. He had a small lantern hooked on his large orange belt and my eyes locked onto the Guild Seal that was hanging down from his neck and was just like Misty's, only it seemed like it was emitting a soft blue glow. I could see the hilt of a sword along with the ends of arrows behind his right shoulder coming from what I could only assume was a quiver. He slowly gazed around at each of us and I felt a strange shock when his sight passed over me and it made me shiver slightly.

"Here, let me get you a seat, Hero." The mustached trader said, standing up. He went to a nearby crate that was sitting against the wall and started pulling it toward the Hero. With much difficulty and effort he managed to position it close to the fire and right next to the Hero. "There you go!"

"…Thanks." The Hero said, his voice deep and soft but still very strong. The mustached trader smiled brightly as if he had done a great service as the Hero sat down on the small crate. He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees and stared into the fire, becoming unusually silent. The father sat back down with his family and the Guard tried to position himself so that he could see what was going on. Nobody spoke, but I could tell everyone was dying to say something to him but was afraid to.

I knew it was rude to stare, but I just couldn't help myself and I couldn't unlock my eyes from his presence. I don't know if it was out of curiosity, fascination or something else, but something about him…drew me. The Hero then turned his head toward me, his eyes hidden, and immediately I looked away. I still felt his gaze over me, like a beam was shooting through me from his eyes.

"So…any news from the outside?" The hat-wearing trader asked confidently, sitting down on the ground next to him.

The Hero glanced at him and then returned to staring at the fire. The hat-wearing trader looked down as if he should be ashamed of asking such a question. Silence fell between them and I felt a small spark in my heart that felt a little like…anger.

"It's still not safe out there…" The Hero said suddenly. Everyone looked at him, some with surprise and others with hopelessness. "Night has fallen, and the balverines are still out there in great numbers, along with bandits and rock trolls."

"Wow…there's rock trolls here, too?" Misty asked, astonished.

The Hero nodded. "It would be best if you all stayed here tonight."

I felt the mood of the cavern drop tremendously. A few sighs and moans filled the cavern and I felt my heart sink a little lower. Then a dreadful thought came to my mind.

"But…Mum and Dad were expecting me and my sister to arrive in Knothole Glade tonight…" I said softly, trying not to sound afraid or insulting to the Hero, who turned his head toward me again. "I…don't want them to worry…"

"I see where you're coming from, little lady." The mustached trader piped up. "But you have to look at the situation we're all in right now."

"We all want to get home just as you do." The mother spoke. "You're not alone, there…"

"I don't know about any of you, but I sure as hell don't want to go out there again." The Guard said, trying to reposition himself on his side. "At least not until I get back into fighting shape again…"

"I'm not going out there, either, not with all those balverines and creatures." The hat-wearing trader muttered.

"We'll stay here tonight." Misty said confidently as if speaking for everyone.

"But Misty…" I moaned.

"Think about, sis. What's more important to you right now; your deadline or your life?"

I opened my mouth but quickly closed it again. The answer was obvious and I guess Misty knew it from the look she was now giving me. Even so, I just wanted this little "adventure" of ours to be done and over with. I wanted to put this place as far behind me as I could and be in the safety of home.

"Since the Hero thinks it's best, I'm gonna stay here." The mustached trader said, looking at the Hero. "I'm in no rush."

"But, what if things aren't any better tomorrow?" I asked no one in particular. "What then?"

Everyone was silent.

"She does have a point there, Hero." The hat-wearing trader said, turning to him. "If we stay tonight, what will become of us tomorrow?"

The Hero remained silent and still, staring into the soft flames. I glared at him, waiting for an answer. His face was expressionless so I couldn't tell if he was thinking about it or not. A few more moments passed and still he made no movement or gesture or any other sign of relieving my doubts. It was beginning to become irritating, watching him simply sit there while our lives were still in relative danger. A decision like this shouldn't really be that difficult. Was this guy a Hero or not? I frowned and was starting to become restless. I opened my mouth, ready to speak, but the Hero finally raised his gloved hand up quickly to stop me.

"We'll head out tomorrow." He said softly. "I've noticed the balverines of late are less active by day. I'll take you all to Knothole Glade then."

I breathed a heavy sigh. That sure took him long enough…

The Hero suddenly stood up tall with everyone's eyes upon him. He turned around and started to walk slowly back to the entrance of the cavern, the huge broadsword on his back glowing in the dim light. He lit the lantern on his belt and stepped into the tunnel.

"Leaving already, Hero?" The mustached trader asked, walking up to him.

The Hero nodded. "There's another matter I must tend to."

"Will you…come back?" The daughter spoke. There was a hint of worry and fear in her voice. The Hero turned around and looked down at the little girl, who stared back with watery brown eyes. He stared at her for a while as if searching for an answer, but then he slowly nodded his head. The girl gave him a slight smile, which the Hero didn't return. Instead he turned back around and walked down the dark tunnel, his footsteps growing quieter with each step until they could no longer be heard and the light from his lantern had been swallowed by the darkness.

The mustached trader sat back down on the crate he had moved for the Hero. The hat-wearing trader grabbed his pack from the wall and began to rummage through it. Misty sat up and went back to where our "bed" was in the dark corner, her blanket sliding across the ground behind her. I watched her for a little, unsure of what she was doing, and then I turned back to the trader, who was now holding something that was wrapped in cloth as well as a short wooden stick. My eyes widened as he unwrapped the cloth to reveal a large piece of red meat and he stabbed it with the wooden stick he had. He then held it over the fire with a smile on his face. I heard my stomach growl again rather loudly, gaining the attention of the others. I felt my face turn red.

"Hungry, are ya?" The hat-wearing trader chuckled. He used his free hand to dig into his pack and pulled out another wrapped up piece of meat as well as a green apple. He stood up and handed the apple to me, which I took slowly. I stared at the fruit in my hands.

"Don't worry, it's still good." The hat-wearing trader smiled.

My mind went blank, and in the next second I felt sweet juice drip down my mouth as I sank my teeth into the small life-giving fruit. I took bite after bite after bite until there was nothing left to bite except for the apple core, in which I felt somewhat sad that I was already finished. My stomach was growling for more and I looked up at the trader, who was still chuckling. I wiped my mouth.

"Here, have this." He said, handing over the wrapped meat and an additional stick. "It tastes better after it's been smoked a bit."

I gladly took the meat and stick and quickly unwrapped the cloth over it. I stabbed my stick into it and held the meat over the fire, which was beginning to die down a bit. The mustached trader was thinking the same thing apparently as he stood up from his seat and grabbed a few pieces of broken wood from among the crates. He placed them slowly into the fire and a few ashes rose up into the air. The fire began to consume the wood as it breathed in new life, giving off a brighter glow and stronger but still pleasant warmth. The mustached trader then dug into his own pack, pulling out a small, tasty looking apple pie wrapped in a napkin.

I felt something nudge the small of my back. I turned around to see a fully-clothed Misty holding my pack up to me. She was wearing baggy pants, boots, and a long sleeve shirt with gloves. She still wore many bandages over her head, but she must have replaced them since they were no longer stained heavily with blood. Her hair was still in a bit of a mess, but still somehow looked good for her.

"What?" I asked.

"Get dressed." She said simply.

"But my…"

"Don't worry, I'll hold your meat for you…heh heh."

I narrowed my eyes. With great reluctance I handed over the meat on a stick to her and she handed me my pack. I stood up, keeping my blanket tightly wrapped around me and went over to our dark corner of the cavern. I looked over to see if anyone was looking, and when I detected no pairs of eyes looking in my direction, I slipped my blanket off of me and dug out a set of clothes from my pack. I eased myself carefully into a pair of pants and a sleeveless shirt, still feeling the sting of my injuries and being careful not to rip any bandages off, and then slipped on my boots. I straightened the bandage over my left eye, which was still tender to the touch, and mindlessly tried to fix my bird's nest of hair. I placed my pack on the stand and went back to the group around the campfire. I sat down next to Misty and she handed me the meat on a stick. I was about to take a bite, but then I noticed that a few good chunks were missing.

"Misty!"

"What?" She said innocently.

I glared at her.

"I was just taste testing it! You know, to make sure it's edible and safe to eat…"

I scoffed at her and she giggled uncontrollably. I continued to eye her evilly as I took a large bite. The two traders laughed at our antics, but when I glared at them they immediately ceased. As the night went on the Guard and the family of three decided to join us around the campfire and pulled over whatever they could find in the cavern to use as a seat. The traders pulled out some more food and water for everyone to consume and we all engaged in conversation. I almost felt like I was eating at a dinner table with friends and relatives with the way we were all seemingly getting along rather than talking with groups of strangers. We each talked about ourselves and the events occurring around us, the traders told stories and tales and other Witchwood lore that quickly caught my attention, and the Guard told about all sorts of criminals and evildoers that he had captured and delivered justice to, amazingly all by himself. Like me, the family didn't have much to say and would rather just listen to the wild stories the others had to share.

In time, everyone started to become tired and weary of the day's events. The laughter and conversation died down and sleep was upon the cavern. The family had retreated into the carriage and the Guard had managed to make himself a bed on the wooden stand close to the campfire by using a long cloth. I was surprised he was even able to fit his entire body on that rickety thing, considering how bulky he was. The two traders fell asleep leaning on the crates, using their packs as pillows and their own blankets that they had brought with them. Only Misty and I were still awake, watching the fire and keeping it tended. Misty wanted to wait for the Hero to return and I was willing to wait with her, but it had been quite a while since he had left and I was beginning to doubt that he would come back tonight. Still, we waited…and waited…and waited a little more…

My mind began to wonder. I was surprised that I was still tired with the amount of "sleep" that I had gotten. I felt drowsy and thought that I could just fall asleep right where I was, sitting here on this hard crate. I felt my head dip a little and immediately snapped it back up. Misty giggled.

"Maybe you should head for bed, sis."

I yawned. "But…what about you?"

Misty shrugged. "Eh, I'm not feeling that tired right now, actually. I guess I'll just wait until the Hero comes back."

I stood up. "Suit yourself. G'night…"

I took one last glance at her and then headed over to our bed, pulled off my boots and eased myself onto it. I pulled the flat pillow and blanket toward me and did my best to get comfy, but somehow I didn't really care this time. I turned to my side and allowed my mind to sink into slumber.

***************

I snapped awake, hearing a rather loud thud not too far away from me. I lifted my head up, searching through the relative darkness for the source until my eyes landed on the Guard. He was now lying on the ground on his back and not moving. I slowly sat up, staring at him. I sure hope he wasn't hurt, for if I didn't know any better I'd say he was…well, I certainly hoped he wasn't. I watched him a little longer and my conscious was relieved when he released a rather loud snore.

Someone giggled. I leaned over to see that the campfire was still going and that Misty was also looking at the Guard. She turned around and carried on a conversation with someone I couldn't see. I tossed my blanket off of me and stood on my feet, staggering slightly and still quite sore, though I wasn't sure if it was from my wounds or the hard ground. I leaned against the wooden stand, ignoring the bite of the cold floor from my feet, and looked to see who Misty was talking to and was surprised to see that the Hero had returned. But he didn't have his hat on, revealing long, jet black hair with four long locks of hair that hung over his scarred face. His eyes were a deep, fierce blue; eyes that hid a lot behind them. Somehow even with the few scars and a few strange markings, he wasn't that bad looking. He was sitting across from Misty and they were talking among themselves, or rather Misty was doing all the talking.

"Right, anyways! So we were heading down the path, right? And then I spotted some bandits on the other side of those magic stones. I told Maia to hide and she ran off and I charged at them head-on. I was surprised that they weren't that tough, seeing how beefy they all were. But with a few slashes of my axe and my Will powers, they all went down. All I got were a few cuts. It felt great knowing I just kicked their butts all by myself."

Misty took a deep breath after finishing her little tale. She then looked at the Hero, seemingly waiting for some kind of response, but she didn't get one. The Hero continued to stare into the small fire as if he didn't even hear her. Misty leaned back a little and sighed with a hint of disappointment.

"Not really the speaking type, are you?"

The Hero stayed silent.

"That's okay. But it would be nice if you gave me some kind of hint or something to let me know you were listening…"

The Hero turned his head slightly toward her. I slowly lifted myself onto the wooden stand and sat on it so that I could see a little better. I couldn't tell if the Hero was looking directly at Misty or not, but I was pretty sure that neither of them had noticed me so far. Misty sighed again, but in a more miserable way. I felt another spark.

"If only I was strong enough to fight those balverines…" She said sadly. "But I still don't understand… I thought that I had…you know. But…you revived me, right? You saved my life?"

The Hero was looking at her fully now, his face still expressionless.

"How did you do it, though? I haven't heard of any magic that can bring the dead back to life. I mean, I did…die…right?"

The Hero stared at her for a moment, and then nodded slowly.

"So…what did you…?"

The Hero reached into one of his packs and pulled out a small golden phial that emitted a gentle glow. He held it up to Misty, who stared at it with wide eyes.

"Ohmigosh! Is that a resurrection phial?!" She exclaimed.

The Hero nodded.

Misty threw her hands down in frustration. "I knew it! I knew I should have bought one of those before we left home! But they were way too expensive! Ugh…how stupid of me! All Heroes should carry at least one; it's a basic rule for Heroes. Some Hero I am to forget such a simple thing…"

The Hero continued to hold the phial up to Misty, who looked at him with a confused look.

"What?"

"Take it." The Hero said softly.

Misty glanced at the phial, and then back to the Hero. "…Really?"

The Hero nodded.

Misty slowly lifted a hand and took the small glowing phial. She looked at the Hero with a frown, but then she smiled.

"Thank you…" She slipped the small bottle inside one of her pockets. "Thank Avo you were there to save us…"

The Hero grunted.

"What?" Misty asked.

"It's funny that you mention the god Avo."

"Why's it funny?"

"…You'll find out someday."

They both looked at each other for a while. I felt a slight choking feeling in my throat and my eyes stung a little, though I wasn't sure why. I stood up off of the stand, being careful not to make any noise, and softly made my way toward them, closely hugging the cavern walls. I got just close enough so that the stands were no longer in the way and that the cavern's darkness still kept me hidden from the light of the campfire. I saw Misty open her mouth, but then she hesitated and lowered her head as though something painful was on her mind.

"Did you see if…" Misty said, but then held back. The Hero continued to look at her, waiting for the rest of her words. Misty took a deep breath, and then she started again. "Did Maia see…my…well, you know…"

The Hero stared at her with sadness in his face. After a few moments he nodded slightly. Misty stared down at her feet.

"Oh, boy… I can't imagine what must've gone through her head… She probably freaked out or had a breakdown or something. I must've put her through hell. I…" She choked and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry…sorry for putting you both through this. I just…hope she can forgive me someday…"

She continued to look down at her feet. I caught the glimmer of something trickling down the side of her face, something that looked a lot like a tear. The Hero turned his head back toward the fire as if he didn't know what to say. It fell silent for some time with the only sounds coming from the crackling fire and the low howling of the air passing through the cavern. I leaned against the wall and stared down as well. I felt suddenly unsure of myself. I began to recall those terrible memories of my flight through the woods. I tried to push them away, but the images of the balverines and of all the blood kept pushing into my mind. I heard Misty breathe a long, deep sigh.

"You two are lucky." The Hero said.

Misty looked up at him, as did I, unsure if I had heard him correctly.

"Lucky?" Misty asked, almost sounding aggravated that he would say such a thing. "How are we lucky?"

"You're lucky to have each other for sisters."

Misty and I stared at him.

"Why do you say that?" Misty asked.

"You two care for each other more than either of you realize. When your sister saw your body, naturally she was heartbroken. But soon afterward the balverines returned to take your sister's life as well. I was about to step in, but then something happened to your sister."

Misty leaned forward. "What?"

"She had turned that sorrow into rage and she took her weapon and charged at the balverines fearlessly. She tried to fight them, but even in her fury, she was no match for them. She was quickly beaten, and then I had to come in."

Misty stared at the floor again. "Did she…really do that?"

The Hero nodded.

"Wow…I…"

Misty was at a loss for words. She took in another deep breath and looked up at the Hero, who looked back at her with a deep gaze. I suddenly felt something wet running down the side of my cheek. I dabbed at it with my finger to discover that it was a tear of my own. I rubbed my eyes, feeling rather embarrassed even though I didn't really have a reason to be.

"If…only I could tell her how much she means to me…" Misty muttered almost inaudibly as if she really didn't want anyone to hear her. "She's really the reason why we're going on this adventure. Our parents actually only wanted to see her since they expected me to be out doing 'Heroic' things. The only thing I've done so far is make Maia worried sick about me…"

"Well…you can try to tell her now." The Hero said softly.

"She's sleeping now…"

The Hero turned his head in my direction, startling me when I felt his gaze on me again. Misty stared at him in confusion and then she turned around and spotted me in the darkness nearby. We stared at each other for what felt like hours. Misty then smiled at me, making me feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Hey sis." She said simply, changing the mood in the air. She patted the crate in the empty space next to her. "Come on, sit down."

I obeyed, feeling somewhat awkward. I wiped my eyes, making sure there were no traces on my face and sat down on the crate next to Misty. We sat in silence for a while and the Hero watched us as if waiting for one of us to say something. Neither of us would look at each other, but after hearing what I did, I felt like I had to say something…anything. I turned my head slightly toward her and she did the same to me.

"Misty, I –"

"Can you –"

We both spoke at the same time and then stared at each other.

"You first." I said.

"No, you go." Misty said.

"No, what you have to say must be more important."

"Somehow I don't think so."

I looked down at my feet and Misty let out a deep sigh. She then took in a deep breath.

"Alright, fine. Since you know now that our parents only wanted to see you, I guess you wanna know why I decided to come with you since all I was supposed to do is get you to Knothole?"

I thought for a moment. "Well…now that you mention it…"

Misty looked away from me. "I guess…I just wanted to spend more time with you. I wanted to make it up to you since you hardly ever see me now that I'm a Hero. I know how much you hate that fact and…well…"

"Well what?" I asked.

"Well…there's actually…nothing wrong with the Knothole Glade Cullis Gate."

I stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"I teleported us to the Witchwood Cullis Gate on purpose. I could've just warped us to the village, but…didn't."

My mouth fell open. "WHAT?!"

Misty smiled nervously. "Please don't be mad…"

"DON'T BE MAD?!" I quickly stood up on my feet. "Do you have any idea how terrible this whole 'adventure' of ours has been for me?!"

Misty stood up on her feet, towering over me. "Hey! I know now since I've talked to the Hero here! I just wanted to show you that the Hero life isn't as terrible as you always seem to assume!"

"Not so terrible?! Walking on that stupid path, seeing dead stuff, watching you kill people and nearly getting killed ourselves by a bunch of monsters that can turn you into one of them? Yeah, being a Hero isn't that bad!"

"Hey, how did you know that balverines can do that?" Misty asked rather calmly, completely changing the mood.

"I read it one of my books…" I said, but then I shook my head. "But enough about that! You know that I don't like any of this adventuring stuff and yet you did this anyway! We could've been safe at home, but nooooooooo! You had to pull something clever and nearly get us killed! Thanks, but no thanks, Misty! I'd rather be home right now in its safety reading books by an actual fireplace. Screw this Hero shit of yours! It may work for you, but not for me! I just want this whole nightmare to be over with!"

"Oi! Keep it down, will you?" The Guard suddenly called out from the floor.

"Yes, please do…" The mustached trader stirred, letting out a big yawn and tried to get comfortable again.

"Oh…sorry…" I muttered. The Guard got up and hoisted himself back onto the stand, not taking notice that he had ended up on the floor, and rolled over to his side.

I turned my attention back to Misty. She looked at me straight in the eyes and had a look on her face that seemed to be half hurt and half angry. But I didn't care. I was trembling with fury and my fists were clenched so hard that my nails bit into my palms. I had been holding my words back for so long and I felt great to now have finally let it all out. She had this coming for a _long_ time…

Misty looked away from me off to the side. She bit her lower lip and nodded her head slightly. Her eyes looked a little watery in the campfire's light.

"Alright…" She choked, sitting back down. "Alright…"

I couldn't help but feel a sense of victory as I stood looking down at her. She turned her head away from me so that I couldn't see her face and sniffed loudly. I leaned over a little to see silent tears flowing down her face. I watched her, somehow surprised at my sister's change in behavior. As I stared, I suddenly realized that I had never really seen her like this before. She has always been confident, cheerful and upbeat. But to see her crying because of what I had said was…strange.

She bent her head down, sniffling and hiccupping. I felt myself slowly stop trembling, my face relax, and the fire that had erupted in my mind had quickly died down. My heart sank as I continued to watch my sister and a new feeling started to creep into it, something that felt a little like…guilt and regret. I glanced at the Hero, who merely stared at me silently with his hands folded in front of his face and his eyes narrowed. I looked back at Misty. I shouldn't have yelled at her like that. She didn't deserve it, not after hearing the things that she and the Hero were talking about.

"Misty…" I said softly.

She didn't answer.

I sat down next to her and she shifted her position on the crate a little. I slowly placed a hand on her shoulder and was relieved that she didn't throw it off.

"Misty…I…"

"What, you're not done yet?" She muttered, keeping her voice surprisingly steady. "Not done telling me how bad of a sister I am?"

"Wha…no…" I started, trying to pick my words carefully. "That's not what I meant at all…"

"You must think I'm the worst Hero too… I can't even protect myself, let alone you…" She let out a shaky sigh. "I'm no Hero… Maybe I should have never gone to the Guild…"

I frowned. "No, you're wrong…"

Misty glanced at me sideways. I took a deep breath.

"You're still a Hero to me."

She finally turned her head back to me. Her face was wet with tears and her eyes were rather red.

"All my life I've looked up to you." I continued. "I mean, you're pretty much everything I want to be…"

"Why do you say that?" Misty asked, wiping her eyes.

"You're strong, confident, attractive, and…" I paused.

"And what?"

"And…well, you actually have a chance to make something of yourself. You graduated from the Guild of Heroes and can do great things. Me…well…I don't have anything. I don't have any special talents or abilities or anything like that. I just like reading, that's it. But you…you can do anything…"

Misty shook her head. "Maia… Why is it that you always think that you have to have some kind of special talent or whatever to get people to like you?"

"How am I supposed to make it in this world without something like that?"

"But you do have something. You can write that story I know you've been working on."

My eyes widened. "How do you know of that?"

"Maia, you're my sister. You've been leaving all of your notes all over the place in the house and stuck inside your books."

My face burned a little. "You…weren't supposed to find out about that…"

"I figured as much." Misty said, smiling. "It's about me, after all, from what I've read so far."

My face reddened a little more.

"I still wonder why you would write about my 'heroic battles,' though. I haven't really done anything heroic yet…"

"You've tried to protect me numerous times. That's heroic enough for me; the fact that you at least tried."

Misty stared at me long and hard. I started to feel a little awkward, but then she curved her lips into her usual grin. I smiled in return. I looked away from Misty and my eyes noticed the Hero still sitting across from us, only now he had a smile of his own on his face, one that brought out his features and seemed to fit him well.

"What?" I asked.

The Hero shook his head slightly. "You two are the most bipolar girls I've ever met."

Misty and I giggled.

The Hero then stood up. He turned around and walked toward the cavern entrance.

"You're leaving again?" Misty asked.

The Hero turned his head to the side and nodded. He lit his lamp, pulled out his hat and slipped it on his head as he faded into the darkness of the tunnel. The sword on his back glowed dimly in the dark, but I noticed that it was stained with blood now. The light of his lamp slowly vanished, and after a few moments the sounds of crumbling and shifting sounded from the tunnel, echoing across the walls. The two traders shifted a little in their sleep.

"I guess he closed the Demon Door." Misty muttered. "Now we're trapped in here again…"

"Until he decides to come back…" I sighed. "Hopefully it won't be really late."

"I'm kinda starting to wonder why he keeps leaving though…"

A solid thud suddenly sounded and Misty and I whipped our heads towards its direction behind us. The Guard had fallen off the stand and onto the floor again and lay there silently. Misty was about to get up to check on him, but then he let out another loud snore. We glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.


	5. For Another Time

**Chapter 5: For Another Time**

"Hey Maia, wake up!" Someone whispered in my ear.

I moaned, shifting a little.

A pair of hands seized my shoulder and started shaking me a little.

"Maia, get up! We're heading out soon!" Said Misty's voice.

"Wha…? We are…?" I mumbled, my head still swirling with sleep.

"Yeah! Now come on! Unless you want me use my wakeup call on you again…"

My eyes snapped open. I pulled my blanket off of my face and raised myself up a little. Misty was kneeling over me with another grin, bouncing up and down slightly. I looked around, somehow surprised that it was still dark within the cavern, but then I realized how silly that statement was. I frowned at Misty. "What time is it?"

"The Hero said it was around eight when he came back. It's probably around nine now and everybody is ready to head out but you. So come on!"

I held my head in my hands.

"Five…more minutes…?" I mumbled.

"Maia…"

"Alright, alright, I'm getting up…"

I blinked a few times before looking back at Misty, who decided to stand up but continued to keep her eyes locked on me. I slipped the blanket off and sat completely up, pulling my boots toward me and slipping them on. Misty stepped aside as I stood up and I swayed a little too much to the side and fell toward Misty. She caught me and held me up, shaking her head. She led me to the part of the stand where our stuff was and allowed me to sit down on it. I sighed while shaking my head.

"Guess I'm still not up to strength…" I muttered, feeling somewhat disappointed.

"This'll help you with that." Misty said, reaching over beside her pack. She handed me a bottle of what looked like a health potion. I frowned.

"I thought you said you used all of your potions." I said, taking it from her.

"I did, but the Hero brought a few back from wherever he went last night. He's got enough for all of us just in case –"

"Something happens?"

Misty nodded. "So drink it, you'll feel loads better."

I held up the small bottle and stared uncertainly at the cloudy red liquid within. It sure didn't look like a pleasant drink, but if it was going to help me feel better…well, so be it. I popped the small cork and held it up to my mouth, tilting my head back and letting the red stuff flow down my throat. I nearly gagged as the liquid hit my tongue with a strange and slightly nasty taste that made me think of old clothes that needed a good washing. Misty giggled slightly at my reaction as I forced the rest of the bottle down until not a drop remained inside the bottle. I lowered my head, wiped my mouth and set the bottle aside, my face twisting from the taste in my mouth.

"Ugh…it sure has a weird taste to…"

My eyes widened. I let out a small surprised gasp as I suddenly felt a pleasant cool sensation fill my stomach and then quickly flow through the rest of my body from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. The cool sensation seemed to be stronger around where my injuries were, especially my head and the back of my shoulder. Just as quickly as it came, the pleasant cooling feeling stopped completely. I blinked and inspected my body, immediately noticing that I wasn't nearly as sore as I was a mere few seconds ago. I stood up on my feet and didn't feel the slightest amount of weakness, though my head and shoulder still felt a bit sore. I poked the bandages wrapped around my head and eye and twitched a little from the sting.

"Feel better?" Misty asked.

"Yeah…loads better." I said, feeling the bandages on my head with my hand. "My head still hurts a little, though."

"Yeah, health potions don't completely heal you, but they still do a pretty good job."

Misty grabbed her pack and swung it around onto her back. She then grabbed the hilt of her black axe and sheathed it on her back and started to step toward the now burnt out campfire. I watched her for a moment as she took one last look at the stands, presumably checking for any of her things she might have missed. She must have drunk a potion herself, seeing as how she still had all her bandages on her head but she had more energy and spirit. I grabbed my own pack and checked the contents inside and was pleased to see that all of my books and few other things were still inside and intact. I grabbed my ragged and torn cloak and slipped it on, surprised that it was still a tad bit damp. I then swung my pack over my shoulder, feeling a slight sting from it, and started to walk toward Misty. She gave me a look that I couldn't read.

"What?" I asked.

She pointed behind me and I looked, spotting my katana leaning against the stand. I gave Misty a sideways glance and grabbed the sword, hooking it onto my belt like before. I then went to where Misty was and stood next to her.

"Happy?" I asked.

"Very." She said simply. She then led me toward the entrance of the cavern. I gazed around at the empty space.

"Where is everybody?"

"Outside waiting for us."

"Had I really been sleeping for that long?" I asked, feeling a little guilty.

"Not really. I woke you up only a few minutes after everyone went outside."

"What, did you forget me or something?"

"Well…"

I stopped walking.

Misty stopped and turned around. "Okay, okay, so I _did_ forget about you, but only for a moment because I was excited that we were leaving!"

"Gee, thanks a lot, Misty…"

She sighed. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Here, I'll make it up to you."

She approached me rather slowly and I looked at her curiously. She then wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. At first I was quite surprised, but then I relaxed and enjoyed the sudden comfort I felt from her embrace. Several moments passed and I felt a little embarrassed for some reason.

"Um…Misty?" I said, looking up at her.

"Hmm?"

"You…uh, can let me go now…"

She did so, patting me on the shoulders and giving me that large grin of hers.

"Let's go."

She entered the still dark tunnel that was the entrance and I followed. I slid my hand along the moist bumpy walls of the tunnel to prevent myself from running into one, but after several paces I could see the light from the outside world at the end of the tunnel. I could hear the pattering of rain from outside as well as a few voices. The ground rose up a little and I was careful not to trip over any stray rocks as I really didn't want to get to know the ground better.

At last we were out of the cavern and my eyes were hit by the morning light, which was limited by the rainclouds above. I shivered as the rain immediately drenched my body and felt just as cold as the day before. Everyone was waiting huddled together outside of the cavern entrance with the Hero standing off to the side and surveying the surroundings. The family of three each had their own cloaks and the parents held their daughter close to them. The traders and the Guard didn't seem to mind the rain, however.

"Does it ever stop raining in Witchwood?" I asked, flipping my hood over my head.

"Not really." The mustached trader answered. "It tends to stop raining when night falls, though I have seen days in which the afternoon was bright and sunny."

"Those kinds of days are a rarity, though." The hat-wearing trader said. "I tell ya, sometimes I think that this place has been cursed with everlasting rain by a spell or something from the Old Kingdom. It wouldn't surprise me if it were true."

"Alright Hero we're all here now. Shall we get going?" The Guard asked, approaching the Hero.

The Hero was facing away from us and he stared into the distance as if he was looking for something there. He glanced left and right slowly and scanned the area with his eyes, making sure there weren't any threats. He then turned around and faced us, gazing at our humble little party. His eyes crossed over me and I felt myself shiver, but not from the rain. The Hero then turned back around and faced the path that led down toward the stones.

"Alright, follow me." He said softly. "Stay close."

The Hero stepped forward and headed down the path. The family of three followed closely behind him, then Misty and I, and then the two traders while the Guard followed in the back with his sword at the ready, looking this way and that for any threats. I suddenly heard the familiar shifting and crumbling of the Demon Door behind us and I turned to look as did the family and the traders. The Demon Door slid shut and the face of an old man stretched outward from the doors. After a little squirming and wriggling, the face froze and became solid rock once more.

We reached the split in the path and I could see one of the standing stones down the path to the left, remembering the bandit battle a day earlier. I started to feel nervous as I thought that the Hero would take us in that direction, but I was quickly relieved when the Hero headed down the somewhat congested right path. I looked up at the tall thick trees on the right side of the path, feeling somewhat paranoid by the darkness they created. The path winded to the right and left and soon I spotted the familiar wooden archway that stood over the path that led to the Temple of Avo. The Hero went under it fearlessly and we all followed him through the underbrush of the path.

Well, so far so good…

The path opened up as we reached the area of the Temple of Avo. The Hero led us down the path to the left and kept his pace while the rest of us except for Misty and the Guard were trying to keep up. I was starting to hate all the trudging we were doing on this path when a sudden thought came to my head.

"Ugh…why can't this Hero of ours just teleport us there with his Guild Seal?" I muttered to Misty, keeping my voice down so that said Hero couldn't hear me. "It worked for you and I didn't it?"

"Yeah, but it was just the two of us when we teleported." Misty replied. "Even though the Guild Seal is an amazing thing, it's not exactly easy to teleport nine people. There are limits to it, you know."

I felt disappointed. I looked ahead at the Hero, who continued to look straight ahead down the path. I gazed to the right toward the direction of the Temple of Avo and could just see it through the trees. I felt the familiar warm and pleasant feeling as I looked, but it wasn't as powerful as before. Once again I wanted to head back and see the inside of the beautiful temple, but circumstances are forcing me otherwise. I looked ahead and noticed that I was stepping a little too close to the father's heels and slowed my pace slightly.

"Ah, the Temple of Avo…" Sighed the hat-wearing trader. "If I had the gold to spare I'd visit that place every day."

I turned my attention back to our journey, seeing that the conversation was really over now. We passed the next wooden archway and into the deep woods that the path traveled through. I looked past the others at the Hero, who continued on at the same pace and only turned around to look at us to check if we were all still following him.

A foreboding feeling suddenly crawled up into my chest. I gazed around at the woods around us, taking care not to trip over any rocks or raised roots on the path. I glanced at Misty, and I noticed that her hand sometimes would reach for her axe mindlessly and that her eyes were darting left and right and up and down along the trees. A wave of cold washed over me as I realized that we were approaching the spot that Misty and I were attacked by the balverines. I moved closer to Misty, ignoring the stares I got from the traders behind us, feeling suddenly vulnerable. I eyed the dark trees to our sides and above and flinched a little at the raindrops that still managed to fall on me through the ceiling of tree branches. I looked ahead at the Hero, who continued on confidently, and wished I could walk in the same manner. I continued to listen for that terrible low growling under the crackling of thunder and whistling of the trees and could feel my legs getting ready to bolt if the need arises. The path twisted left and right repeatedly and each minute that passed felt as dreadful as the last.

After many long minutes later the pounding of my heart told me that I was still alive. I guessed that we had passed the spot that we were ambushed, which I suppose was a good thing. At last the path began to straighten out and I could see another archway with a more open area beyond that the Hero led us toward. I felt a little relief, but I still felt the danger all around us. The Hero glanced behind him at us as we walked underneath the archway.

Another checkpoint down, but still no sign of Knothole Glade…

The path was split into two by a small group of trees and a few boulders and stone pillars as it continued uphill ahead. The rain resumed hitting us with full force now that we had left the "shelter" of the woods. We followed the path up the hill, passing some more ancient crumbling ruins, some broken barrels and furniture that might have been left there for years and a rather frightening statue of some kind of gargoyle or demon that seemed to emit an unnatural red glow. The path became slightly congested but then it opened into a wide open area with paths to the left and right. The left led over a wooden bridge and toward a large door with round lanterns hanging over the path and each had attracted a small swarm of bugs despite the rain. The right path traveled through two bodies of water with a few glowing blue mushrooms spread around them, ones that looked identical to those in the cavern. In the distance I could see the path travel up a steep hill and switch back and forth and then went to the left. I stared down the path to the left, wondering what could lie beyond that door, but the Hero led us down the path on the right and toward the hill, passing a pond and a large pool to the right that looked pretty deep.

"Well, here's Witchwood Lake." The hat-wearing trader said. "I wouldn't call it much of a lake, though, being as small as it is."

"It probably used to be much larger than that." The father said, turning his head to the lake. "I bet there are still some good fish to catch in there."

"I could sure go for some nice fish right about now…" The Guard muttered to no one in particular. "A nice, big, juicy one…"

"I just hope we don't run into any rock trolls." The hat-wearing trader said, his eyes glancing left and right. "They're usually spotted around these parts. Fierce creatures, they are…"

"If we do, then so be it." Misty said confidently. "I've always wanted to fight one after hearing how tough they are."

I shook my head.

"I still think balverines a more dangerous, though…" The mustached trader said. "At least a rock troll can't turn you into one of them and are usually alone."

"But they can still crush your head into a pancake." The hat-wearing trader retorted. "In any case, I'd rather not run into either on this trip or ever again in my lifetime. Seeing them once and escaping with my life was enough."

I couldn't agree with him more there.

Luckily there didn't seem to be any signs of either as we began to ascend the path as it went up the hill to the right. There were large red, blue and green banners hanging on the sides of the path with some kind of symbol on them, symbols that reminded me of tribes that I've read about in my books. A few torches were placed on the path as well, somehow still alit through all this rainfall as well as strings of those round lanterns hanging between some of the banners. The path curved to the left and continued up the hill in the opposite direction and I could see another wooden archway up ahead at the top of the hill. I could feel a hint of fatigue in my legs and my breathing became a little harder, each step reminding me how much my body wasn't made for this kind of thing. We traveled under the archway and followed the path as it led into the dark woods again. The Hero stopped us briefly after the mother asked if we could take a short rest, which I was rather happy about. Oh, how I enjoyed taking a break from all this hiking stuff, but everyone knew that we weren't out of the woods yet…so to speak.

Checkpoint three…but how many were left?

After a little moaning and groaning, the Hero managed to convince us all to continue on…with a stare. We picked up our things and pressed on with a somewhat moody air about us. The traders however were a bit higher in spirit and said that Knothole Glade was not too much further, which in turn lifted the spirits of everyone else. Finally, I can put this whole mess of affairs behind me and get some serious reading done. Oh, and visit with Mum and Dad of course…

The Hero suddenly came to a halt. Everyone mirrored his actions except for the little girl, who bumped into the back of the Hero's leg.

"What's wrong, Hero?" The mother asked. The Hero replied by holding a finger up to his lips, signaling us to be quiet.

I stepped to the side to see what the fuss was about. The Hero had a firm expression on his face and his eyes were glaring hard at something ahead. Misty approached the Hero and tapped his shoulder.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"Bandits." He whispered back.

Something suddenly knocked into me from behind, nearly knocking me over. I quickly recovered to see the Guard pushing and shoving his way toward the Hero, who took no notice of him. I frowned.

"Oi! What did you stop us for?" He asked much louder than anyone was comfortable with. Everyone responded with a "Shh!" that he jumped at. He then looked ahead at what everyone else was staring at and his eyes widened, as did mine. In the distance much further down the path stood a lone, muscular bandit and as far as my eyes could tell he was facing away from us. My heart began to pound again, even though I wasn't moving.

"A bandit!" The Guard exclaimed, raising his sword up and nearly hitting the father in the face, who glared at him angrily. "He's in our way. Come on! Let's kill him!"

The Guard pushed forward and was about to charge, but the Hero threw an arm out and held him back by his chest. The Guard looked up at him, frowning.

"What?"

"Take a good look to the bandit's left…" He said softly.

He did so as did Misty and I. I stared into the thick of the trees, but I couldn't see anything or anyone. The only things I could see moving were bushes and other vegetation from the rainfall. I continued to stare, looking for what the Hero was seeing. I was about to give up my search when movement caught the corner of my eye on the left. Some of the plants seemed to be moving in a rather unnatural way, almost as if someone was pressing against them. I stared hard and could just make out the shape of the top of a bald head with leather wrappings…

"More bandits…" Misty whispered. "I should've known…"

"Bandits never travel alone." The Hero said and the Guard stared at him. "They're probably trying to bait Guards like you into an ambush."

"What do we do?" I whispered.

The Hero turned to me, his eyes feeling like they were pressing me down. "Go hide."

Without another word or thought I threw myself behind a few nearby boulders and the others followed. We all somehow managed to fit behind said boulders and I glanced at each of us in turn, only to feel my heart drop a little. I peeked around the boulder to see the Hero, who was accompanied by Misty and the Guard.

"Misty!" I exclaimed, still keeping my voice down.

She turned around and looked at me, and then gave me a smile before turning back around. The Hero pulled out his bow, one made of fine golden wood and an odd shine to it. I saw Misty gawk at it for a little and it looked like she was going to try to touch it, but then the Hero pulled out an arrow from his quiver and knocked it in the bowstring. He slowly pulled back the bowstring and raised the bow up, aiming straight at the lone bandit. And then he let the arrow fly. It sailed through the air in the distance so swift that I couldn't follow it with my eyes and within the next second, the arrow tore through the bandit's neck, completely severing his head and his body was knocked away and down to the ground by the sheer force of the shot. A stream of dark blood came from his neck as the body met the ground and I quickly looked away and covered my mouth.

I heard the rushing sound of footsteps and whipped my head back around the side of the boulder, not wanting to see the carnage but unable to look away. Within the next moment several more bandits, at least four or five more, suddenly appeared from the bushes on the left to investigate the death of their comrade. It didn't take long for them to spot their attacker and the two with him and they immediately charged forward, yelling a battle cry with their weapons raised high in the air. One bandit hung back and raised his crossbow, but he never got to fire it as the Hero had already knocked another arrow and fired, piercing the bandit right in between his eyes. Misty grabbed her axe and the Guard readied his sword, bracing for the impact of the remaining bandits. Misty raised her left fist up and fire began to engulf it while the Hero sheathed his bow and equipped his glowing broadsword. He then cast a spell upon his blade, making it glow a fiery bright orange. He then vanished in a bright flash of light, reappeared in another and immediately slashed at one of the bandits from behind. The bandit's body flew through the air as some kind of force repeatedly hit his body three, four, five times and he landed with a heavy thud and didn't get back up.

Misty threw a fireball at the nearest bandit but missed as he did a rolling maneuver toward her. The bandit lashed at Misty, but she easily blocked the attack despite his strength. She knocked him backward and lashed out at him rapidly, locking her weapon with his. The bandit swung a powerful strike, but Misty dodged it and took advantage of the opening with a slash to his back. The bandit roared and retaliated with a ferocious swing behind him, but Misty ducked under the swing, raised a glowing hand and struck the bandit in the face with a bolt of lightning. The bandit stumbled backward while holding his face with his free hand, yelling in pain. He lowered his hand and looked at Misty with a menacing glare, but that glare quickly turned into a look of shock as Misty was already charging up a large fireball. She raised her fiery fist up and threw it, sending a fireball flying at the bandit and hitting him in his still wide-eyed face. The fireball exploded, sending ash and flames in every direction while throwing the bandit's smoldering body backward and flopping to the ground.

Misty then turned her attention to the Guard, who was nearby and struggling with a particularly HUGE bandit. She charged forward just as the bandit was about to strike the Guard and swung her axe, but the bandit heard her coming and blocked her attack with his cleaver. He kicked Misty in the stomach, knocking her down and then resumed attacking the Guard, who now had a new gash on his shoulder. Misty growled and brushed a lock of hair off of her face and quickly got back onto her feet. She raised her hand up and threw a bolt of lightning at the bandit's back, making him roar in pain. The Guard took advantage and knocked him to the ground with a swift and strong blow with his sword. The bandit got back to his feet, shook his head and turned his attention to Misty, who smiled mockingly. The bandit roared and charged forward like a bull, his cleaver high above his head. He swung downward at Misty and I shut my eyes, fearing the worst. I heard an incredibly loud _clang_ that sent a vibration down my spine and I opened my eyes again. Misty held her axe up as the beefy bandit was pressing down on her with his cleaver, both baring their teeth from the strain. Suddenly a sword pierced through the bandit's stomach, making his eyes and mouth open wide with shock and pain. The sword quickly withdrew from his stomach and he clenched his gut as it began to spill blood onto the soaked ground. Misty then whirled around a circle, swinging her axe and slicing straight through the bandit's neck. His body collapsed to the ground with a rather sickening thud, along with his head, making me turn away and feel like gagging.

Misty stood up straight and the Guard lowered his bloodied sword. They both stared at each other for a moment.

"You know, I can take care of myself." The Guard grunted, placing a hand on the cut on his shoulder.

"Yeah…you're welcome." Misty muttered, turning away.

Misty jumped, as did I, when we heard a grotesque sound like something being slammed into something soft. I searched for the source and my eyes quickly spotted the Hero standing over a large bandit with two flags on his back, his broadsword firmly shoved into the center of his chest. The Hero wrenched his blade out and continued to look down at the now dead bandit, and then he scanned the surroundings with his eyes, slowly landing on Misty and the Guard. Misty looked around as well, probably checking for more enemies, but the woods had fallen relatively silent again. Misty then gave the Hero a thumbs up, who didn't seem to notice as he started making his way toward where we were hiding. Misty and the Guard followed him and soon arrived at our little hiding spot. He stood over us and took another glance at the surrounding area.

"Let's go." He said softly.

"Are we nearly there, Hero?" The mother asked. "I don't know how much more of this we can stand…"

The mother gazed down at her daughter with a saddened look on her face. The girl was trembling rather terribly. The Hero turned to her and nodded slightly. The mother sighed heavily with relief. Everyone stood up and followed the Hero, who had already started to head down the path ahead. Misty approached me, wiping the sweat off her brow. I stared at her, but she merely smiled and motioned for me to come. I did so and we followed the others and continued on, stepping over the fresh bodies. The Hero led the way, though he was now moving a little faster and he was continuously gazing around.

The path curved around a steep rock wall to the left in a wide radius and around the corner stood another archway over the path accompanied by a lone lantern. The trees hovered over us again, standing tall and without roots on their bases. A few rays of light managed to shine down through the trees' thick branches, providing a little more light for the dark path. Two large blue banners and a lantern were followed by a small wooden bridge that appeared sturdy enough. The river below was rather calm despite the heavy rain. We passed two more red banners and under lanterns that were hanging above and tied between the trees. We then reached a more open area and I gazed ahead, my eyes widening a little at what I saw.

"Finally! Knothole Glade!" The mustached trader exclaimed, picking up his pace.

The spirit in the air felt like it shot up to the sky. The traders rushed forward towards the large wooden gate along with the father and mother, who started to drag their daughter away with them. The Hero continued at his pace, seemingly not taking notice to them as they passed him and ran through the gate. The Guard chased after them without so much as a glance behind him. Only Misty and I were left with the Hero, who didn't seem to mind their running off.

"Geez, not even a thank you…" Misty muttered. "But…we're here! And it's not even noon yet I bet!"

I stared ahead at the large open gate of Knothole Glade. A smile began to stretch across my face and my heart fluttered excitedly. We made it! And we were both okay! Well, relatively speaking…but still! A sense of relief that I haven't felt since we had left Oakvale washed over me and I almost wanted to dash off after the others and enter the safety of the village. I looked up at the totem pole that towered over the gate before my eyes landed on a stone circular platform to the left of the gate. A familiar symbol was on it and I knew it must've been a Cullis Gate. I glared at Misty as we passed through the gate, but then we stopped as we were met by a pair of Guards in red uniforms.

"Hello there, sire!" One of the Guards said to the Hero. "Good to see you! And I see you've brought quite a few wanderers with you!"

"They must've been lost for quite a while, considering how fast they ran in here." The other Guard said, scratching his chin. "By the way, did you ever find out anything about why those –"

A low, dreadful howl pierced the air, making me jump an inch off the ground and sent a freezing chill up my spine. The two Guards bared their teeth, searching left and right for the source of the howl. The Hero whipped his head behind him toward the forest, his eyes fierce. My heart began to race again, this time out of fear.

"W-was that what I thought it was?" I stuttered.

"Close and lock the gate." The Hero said firmly, leaning toward one of the Guards. "If it attacks the village, blow the horn." The Hero then began to dash off back into the woods while both of the Guards nodded to each other and dashed off themselves. Misty stepped toward the leaving Hero.

"Wait!"

The Hero came to a quick halt.

"Let me come with you!" Misty pleaded. "I can help you fight them!"

"No."

It wasn't loud. It wasn't even angry. But the Hero's answer seemed to have startled Misty as she looked back at him with wide eyes as if he had just insulted her. Or perhaps it was the stare he was giving her, his blue eyes firm and unflinching and clearly said that he wasn't going to change his mind. After a long stare, he quickly turned around and ran and disappeared back down the path, drawing his blade.

"Come on, you two!" A Guard suddenly said from behind me, making me jump again. "Get inside so we can close this gate!"

We did as were told and stood back away from the entrance and into the village, though Misty did so a little reluctantly. Three Guards began pulling the wooden gate shut with ropes, sliding across the wet and slick grass. They slid it shut and barred the gate with large steel bars, locking them in place. A crowd of villagers started to gather behind us as they watched the Guards run back and forth, making absolutely sure the gate was securely shut and that nothing was going to break through it. Misty watched with narrowed eyes.

"I can't believe he just went out there alone…" She said softly, folding her arms. She then turned to me. "I should be out their helping him!"

"It's for your own good…" A Guard said standing near us carrying a crossbow. "Besides, he's one of the greatest Heroes who ever lived! Probably even better than the woman that statue represents! I'm sure he'll be fine against those balverines or whatever that was out there."

Misty and I gazed up at said statue behind us. I gazed up at the stony woman who held the biggest axe I had ever seen. She was rather thin and wore a robe or cloak of some kind that looked a little like my own. I looked at the base of the statue and spotted a name engraved into the stone, reading "Scarlet Robe."

Wait…I had heard that name somewhere before. Yes, in one of my books I believe. She was a great Hero a long time ago who killed many balverines and even became champion of the Arena. But in my book it said that she had put her Heroic days behind her and lived a quiet life. It didn't say anything about what happened to her or her family after that though…

Another howl sounded from the woods, followed by another, and then another. Suddenly I caught something out of the corner of my eye and spotted the girl running up the hill to the left of the gate with her parents chasing after her close behind. I stared in surprise as she quickly disappeared along with her parents up the hill and couldn't help but feel curious as to why. I took a glance at Misty, who was staring through the small window in a door to the right of the gate and looking out into the woods. I frowned, and then I felt myself running up the hill after the girl and her parents.

I ran up the somewhat steep path, ignoring the strain of my legs. I soon reached the top and met up with the family along with a Guard who was standing by some kind of large horn and looking out over the gate and into the woods, his crossbow at the ready. The mother was giving her daughter a good scolding, but she didn't seem to be paying any attention. She was looking out over the gate along with the Guard. I approached them slowly as to not startle them and earn a scolding of my own and leaned against the ledge on the Guard's right.

"Nothing in sight…" The Guard muttered, holding his crossbow over the ledge. "I sure hope that Hero bloke is doing alright. Whatever that was sounded pretty nasty…"

I gazed out into the distance, trying to spot any movement from the woods. The rain continued to pour, albeit a little weaker than it had been all day. Lightning crashed frequently above, making it hard to hear anything out of the ordinary. Several minutes passed without so much as a disturbance and the mother had finally stopped yelling at the girl for running off. She frowned as she continued to stare out into the woods.

"Maia!"

I turned around as did the Guard, seeing Misty running up the path to us.

"Geez, I can't turn around for a second anymore without you running off!"

I ignored her and turned back around to look out beyond the gate. I scanned the wide area left and right, but I still couldn't see anything.

"Any sign of him?" Misty asked. The girl, the Guard and I each shook our head in turn.

"It's been a while now…" The Guard said softly. "It's been quiet since that last howl. You don't think he…?"

"He'll be okay…" The girl said confidently, earning the stares of all of us. "I know he will be."

We continued to wait for any sign of his return. Minute after long minute passed and quickly the air of doubt was beginning to surround us. I started to feel unsure myself as the time passed slowly. I felt the mood among us drop further and further, and then I noticed Misty sit up a little straighter.

"I think I see him!" She said, pointing in the distance at the path into the woods. "Yeah, that's him right there!"

We all leaned against the ledge, staring at the spot Misty pointed at. I narrowed my eyes, and could just see the movement of a lone figure that was walking toward the gate. I heard shouts down the hill from the Guards down at the gate and soon after they began to slowly open the gate to let the figure in. The girl turned on her heel and rushed back down the hill to the gate and her parents gave chase after her. Misty and I followed quickly and met up with them at the now open entrance to the village, along with the blue Guard and the two traders amidst the crowd. We all watched eagerly as the Hero approached the village and seemed to be carrying something in his free hand. I could see multiple bloodstains all across his suit, though somehow I didn't think they were his own. He gazed at the waiting crowd, and continued walking forward. He approached the waiting crowd and suddenly a few people gasped and screamed. I looked around at everyone wondering what was going on until I realized what the Hero was carrying; the blood soaked severed head of a balverine with silvery fur as pale as the moon. The parents covered the eyes of their daughter and I looked away, feeling a little uneasy still despite everything that I had seen within the last two days. I caught the stench from the head and felt my stomach turn. The Hero ignored everyone's reactions and tossed the severed head at one of the Guard's feet. The Guard looked at the head and then back at the Hero with a confused and disgusted look on his face.

"Blimey! What in the world is that?" The Guard exclaimed, stepping away from the huge head.

"A white balverine…" The Hero said simply.

Misty stared wide-eyed at the head. "Wow…a white balverine…"

I turned to look at her. "What…? Is it…special or something?"

Misty glared at me as if that was something I should know. "You don't know? A white balverine is like a huge step up from a normal balverine. They are much bigger, stronger, and dangerous. Like regular ones, white balverines can turn you into one if you are bitten, but they can summon other balverines to their aid. But they're said to be extremely rare…"

"Well said, there." Said a voice from behind us, making everyone face the other direction.

Not too far away behind a few villagers stood a tall man with a balding head with a long braided ponytail that was graying in areas and his mustache was ridiculously long and tied together underneath his chin. His vest did a rather poor job at covering his bare tattooed chest with a protruding belly that hung over his dark green pants. He had two Guards standing with him and a growing smile beneath that strange bushy mustache.

"It has been many years since a white balverine had terrorized Witchwood." He continued. "That explains why all those wretched beasts have suddenly appeared in great numbers. Once more we owe you a great thanks for getting rid of this recent nuisance, Hero. For a while I thought that no one was going to help us. And also an extra thanks for finding and escorting the missing people back to the village. You really are the Hero that I remember you as, at least as far as my memory serves."

The Hero stared for a moment, and then merely nodded slightly, without expression. A Guard approached the man from his left and whispered something into his ear and the man smiled.

"As much as I would like to reminisce on the past, I have other matters to attend to. It seems the game master in the tavern is causing a ruckus again. But first…"

He signaled another Guard and pointed at the white balverine head. The Guard looked at him questionably, but then he frowned, went over to where the head lay, and picked it up with the tips of his gloved fingers as if he tried to touch the least amount of the head as possible. He then returned to the man's side.

"I'll just add this to the collection of Knothole 'trophies.' Again you have my thanks, Hero, and I'm sure those you helped would like to thank you as well." He motioned at us with his hand. "Farewell, Hero!"

The man waved, turned on his heel and walked up the hill past the statue of Scarlet Robe and out of sight. The small crowd that had formed had started to disperse and resumed in carrying on their normal lives. I started to wonder who exactly he was, someone of power I assume, when I felt movement behind me. I turned around to see everyone in our group surrounding the Hero, minus the blue Guard, who gazed at us all unflinchingly and his eyes seemed to say that the attention he was getting was rather unnecessary. The two traders approached him first.

"Well, I guess this is it, Hero." The mustached trader spoke. "Can't say this has been the most enjoyable experience, but this is nothing I plan to forget in a long time!"

"Indeed, this'll be a story to remember throughout the rest of my days!" The hat-wearing trader said. "I can't wait to tell this tale to others in the future; the day I went adventuring with the greatest Hero of all time!"

"You have our thanks, Hero. But I'm afraid that's all we can give you."

"Unless you are in need of some of our supplies, as they are the only things of value on us at the moment."

The Hero shook his head.

"In that case, you must excuse us as we have a little delivery to make at the shop. Though I think the shopkeeper will be upset that it's a bit late."

"Ah, he'll make do." The mustached trader shrugged.

The two traders bowed low to the Hero, who looked at them with raised eyebrows. They then turned to Misty and bowed to her as well.

"Thank you as well, Miss…um…" The mustached trader said, rising back up.

Misty looked taken aback, but then she slowly smiled. "Um…okay. It's Misty."

The traders nodded their heads. "Farewell, Misty!"

They turned and headed up the hill into the village after that other man and quickly disappeared. Misty stared after them with a confused look on her face.

"What did I do?" She asked me. I shrugged my shoulders.

We turned back around to find both the mother and father shaking the Hero's hand in turn. The mother looked like she wanted to cry while the father kept repeatedly saying something over and over. The Hero remained silent after receiving their thanks. He then looked down to see the little girl tugging at his pants.

"Will you come visit sometime?" She said, her voice a little high-pitched.

The Hero stared at her as if he didn't really know what to say. His forehead wrinkled into a frown and he stood silent, searching for an answer. The girl started to frown as well, her eyes growing sad.

"…Maybe…" He finally said. The girl's face didn't change.

"I think that's the best answer we're going to get." The father muttered, placing his hands on her shoulders. The girl continued to stare up at the Hero.

"I'm sure he's very busy, honey." The mother said, trying to sound reassuring. "He's a Hero, after all, and probably has many things he needs to do. I'm sure he'll visit when he can."

The mother looked up at the Hero, who now stared at her. She gave him a look that told him to give an answer. The Hero looked down at the girl, who was still staring at him, and nodded slightly. Immediately the girl's frown turned into a smile.

"Come on, let's go home." The father said, starting to drag his family away. The mother and daughter followed, but not before one last "Thank you" from them both. The Hero watched them as they walked up the hill towards their home. After they were a good distance away, the girl took one last look at the Hero before they disappeared behind a house on the corner.

Well, I guess that just leaves us…

The Hero then turned to us, using that same stare that I've already grown accustomed to. Misty and I glanced at each other as if we didn't know what we were supposed to do. After several long, awkward minutes of silence, Misty was the first to move and walked up to the Hero.

"So…I guess this is it, huh?" Misty said, scratching the back of her head. "I guess I still have a lot to learn about being a Hero, huh?"

The Hero blinked. "It comes with time. Besides, you're already a Hero to someone."

The Hero gazed at me and Misty turned around to do so as well. I felt my face turn a little red. He then faced the opposite direction and started to walk toward the woods while Misty and I watched him silently. There he was, walking away just as quickly as he first appeared. I desperately wanted to say something to him though, something I needed to know before he left, possibly for good. My mind clicked.

"Wait!"

The Hero froze and turned his head to the side. I stepped forward.

"We never got your name!"

The Hero stood silent for a moment, seemingly searching for an answer again. He then said, "I have been called many different names in my lifetime…"

"Well…what would you like us to call you?"

The Hero gazed down at his feet and then he turned around again and looked me straight in the eyes. I felt his blue eyes pierce through me. "Just call me…the Hero of Oakvale."

"Misty! Maia!"

We both whipped ourselves around to look behind us and quickly we spotted both of our parents as they stood not too far away behind the statue. Misty squeaked and dashed off to Mum and Dad. I stepped toward them, feeling like doing the same, but something stopped me. At first I didn't know what it was, but then I turned back around to face the woods, only to see that the area beyond the village gate was now empty and the Hero had vanished. I looked left and right for his presence, but there was no trace of him whatsoever. I sighed heavily and wiped some more rain out of my eyes.

"Maia, come on!"

I slowly turned back around to spot Misty standing with our parents and waving at me. I took one last look out into the woods before running into the arms of my waiting and worried sick parents.

I flipped over to the next page of _A Hero's Journey: Volume One_, enjoying the warmth of my parents' fireplace. It was strange that I was reading this book now, remembering how much I used to dislike this book and regarded it as my least favorite, but somehow I found it rather appealing and interesting now. Even though I thought that the constant flipping back and forth of the pages was a bit annoying I still found the whole "choose your path" idea kinda cool.

After reading about five chapters I decided to call it quits for tonight and marked my place in the book. I set it down on the nightstand that was next to the comfy chair I was in and leaned back into it. It was a little dark in the two story house with the only light coming from the fireplace and the lone alit lantern on the dining table. Misty and Mum and Dad had already headed for bed after a whole two day's worth of catching up. Misty and I had done our best to describe our little "adventure" without upsetting either of them and left most of the gruesome details out altogether, as well as the whole "dying" bit…

I took a deep breath of the cool night air from the open window nearby and sighed. I could feel sleep getting a grip on me, but I felt that I still needed to do something before the night was over. I glanced at the nightstand again and quickly spotted what it was; a somewhat thin notebook lay next to _A Hero's Journey_, seemingly waiting for me to pick it up and open it. I leaned over and slid it toward me and placed it on my lap. Out of all of my books, this one is my most precious.

I opened it, scanning the various notes and walls of text that I had already written inside, some old and others new. I flipped the pages until I spotted the one that I needed, but then another thought came to mind. I marked the current page by folding the corner down and flipped to a blank page. I leaned over in the chair on the right and rummaged through my pack and pulled out a quill and wrote "The Hero of Oakvale" at the top of the page and underlined it. Then I paused in thought. As much as I would like to write about the Hero I had met, I really didn't know anything about him. Nothing about his life, his family, his accomplishments, his goals, I don't even know what kind of food he likes. I had asked some of the local villagers about the Hero, but the only things anyone knew were things like what he had done for Knothole Glade and numerous tales of his feats. But I needed more stories, more facts about the Hero who saved my life, and had turned up somewhat empty-handed despite of everything.

I flipped back to my marked page of notes and text. I sighed, somewhat disappointed, but renewed with determination. I guess that'll just have to be a story for another time…


End file.
